Fireheart and the Tiger
by Carly the Llama
Summary: Sequel to Fireheart. Summary inside, because it's too long. Rated T for violence, swearing and dirty jokes.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: And I'm back. Left you on a cliffhanger for like twenty-four hours if that. Anyway, here's the summary because it was too long for the 380 character limit. Go!**

…

 **Summary: Zoe's back, with a whole new set of shenanigans. But this time, the stakes are higher while living on breaking glass with Gabriel knowing her secret and doing everything he can to get rid of her permanently; as well as figuring out her blossoming friendship with Eli, who may be more than he seems. While this happens, she's trying to learn as much as she can about the mysterious 'psychic', Evelyn Autumn, and the new superheroine who works alongside them.**

 **Meanwhile, Eden Carpenter has been brought to** _ **Miraculous**_ **by Hawk Moth, planning to turn the two sisters against each other, but this plan fails horribly, leaving Eden in hiding, not allowed to reveal herself to her constantly accompanied sister. Her only companions being the irritatingly cryptic Master Fu and her secret kwami, Roaar, she does everything she can to help her sister. But one can only hide a secret like that for so long.**

 **Chapter 1: Eden**

To say Eden was insanely done with life was a severe understatement. Understatement of the century! She was fourteen years old, and this meant she was stuck with babysitting.

After the police told her parents that Zoe was likely dead, or wouldn't be found, they had gotten into a huge fight, leading to a divorce—because her father found out about just how much her mother didn't like Zoe, and the abuse, refusing to even mourn her. Her mother got full custody, and she just happened to be hooking up with the judge not long after, which was highly suspect. She hadn't even heard from her Dad in years, other than birthday gifts that she found in the dumpster.

Not long after the separation, her mother turned out to be pregnant. Eden was only 23% sure the kid was her father's even though she would have gotten pregnant during their marriage. It was a girl, named Joselyn, and she might had possibly been the embodiment of evil.

She didn't have Carpenter eyes—blues and turquoise, with Eden's having more green in it, creating a seafoam green color—she looked like her mother in every way, from her golden blonde hair to her coal black eyes. She acted like her mother too—shrieking, manipulative, bitchy piece of shit. She had been reluctant to believe her mother was as cruel as Zoe had said, but now that she was oldest and was had been forced to skip a couple grades, so she would be special; which required little to no free time, all of it taken up by tutors. She had also repeatedly heard her mother scream at Zoe "I wish I aborted you when I had the chance!" And only recently did she know what that meant, because she had thought for a long time that she was saying 'abroad' like to study overseas. Joselyn was just as awful, always threatening with false accusation and acting like a spoiled brat, and she was only two years old!

That was where the aforementioned 23% came from. Every Carpenter in this generation—including her cousins—qualified for MENSA, meaning they had an IQ in the 98th percentile or higher. The thing had made Zoe and Eden different, were that they only had a select few ways to harness it. Zoe was a brilliant tactician when she wanted to be and would be the winner in a game of survival of the fittest, because she was able to figure out extremely advanced combat; she also stored pop-culture references in her brain, and was able to use people's words against them. Eden was perceptive and was able to get a feel for a person just by observing them, and this was assisted by her sight being enhanced upon her natural loss of hearing; her other talent was logic, something Zoe often lacked, being able to see every reasonable outcome of an action in a grand scale. Yin and Yang in a sense, even though they were both reckless as hell at times and longed for an adventure.

Joselyn seemed to pick up everything around her, and even mimic her elders for her own agenda, even understanding disturbing shit like the Holocaust within minutes of having it told.

Zoe: Warrior. Eden: Observer, maybe spy. Joselyn: World's meanest genius.

And to make matters worse, they had moved to Arizona. Fuck Arizona. A Seattle girl doesn't like the heat! At least it wasn't Australia, where everything that wasn't you wanted to kill you; and god damn spider rain. Hell no.

At least Eden had learned to survive like this. She was nowhere near as talented as her sister at bullshitting her way through life and planning out days in advance to get food, but it was enough to survive until she could emancipate herself at sixteen.

If she needed Zoe anytime though, it was now. Zoe had been her best friend and dearest companion through her young life, her protector and mentor in a world where civilization could collapse at any given moment, they had been nearly inseparable…until she was gone. She had had no idea how good she had it until her sister wasn't there anymore.

For a couple months after finally getting herself to watch _Miraculous Ladybug_ again after that weird ass nightmare, she had theorized over the phone with Sam that the mystery writer had taken her, but that idea had grown completely ludicrous, there was no reasonable way. She was back to square one, starting to come to terms with the idea her sister was gone forever and wasn't coming back.

Right now, she was sitting on the couch in their small house on some land in the middle of the rural section of scorching Arizona, reading a book; Joselyn was playing with her stuffed armadillo quietly—for the first time since the little brat was born.

Joselyn suddenly got up and crossed her arms, "I want candy!"

"Too bad. We don't have any candy, and I'm too young to drive if we even had a car." She muttered wryly, bookmarking her page, as she knew the book would be torn to shreds if she kept it open, "Ask Mother when she gets home from her date."

"Mommy said no." Joselyn complained, "I know you have some smarties, so give them to me or I'll tell Mommy you smoke."

Okay, why was this child so awful, and _how_ did she even know what smoking was? And why would she think it remotely plausible for Eden to smoke when she got nauseous around a campfire? Quite frankly, if someone came and killed this kid, the usually sweet and gentle, horrified by anything getting hurt, Eden Carpenter would thank them.

"Look." Eden brought herself down to the kid's eye level, "I do not have candy, and it's not my fault mother doesn't let you have them. Getting me in trouble for something I don't do will not help you, it will only hurt you when you grow up." She clenched her teeth together as Joselyn threw a tantrum.

When someone made Zoe mad, it was either an uncontrollably rage or a killing calm. Eden wished she had learned the killing calm, but she got stuck with a shrieking rage—not a tantrum, more a grand release of emotion that could go off at any time—a release of emotion that could get her grounded.

Eden seethed, gridding her teeth together, "Joselyn, let's just watch TV, okay? Watch some cartoon?" Joselyn crossed her arms grumpily, but didn't say no, and that in itself was a huge relief. She turned on Netflix, about to turn on a movie, when there was a knock on the door.

 _O' mighty God, please let that be the Pizza._ Eden prayed, opening the door to see…she had to rub her eyes to ensure she was seeing correctly and her eyes weren't going like her ears had.

It was a man with platinum blonde hair, clearly gelled, with a Hawk Moth styled suit, a purple cane, but a not-ugly silver butterfly mask.

Eden was about to shut the door when the man stopped her,

"Are you Eden Carpenter?"

Eden frowned, "Who wants to know? An impressive cosplay of Hawk Moth with a fashionably tolerable mask? Just turn into Gabriel already, everyone knows his secret identity and there is no way you aren't dressed like a _Miraculous Ladybug_ pop-culture reference. Because unless it's something good, I'm closing the door." Seriously. What the fuck?

"The man who knows the whereabouts of your sister."

That both got Eden's attention, and worried her at the same time, "I don't have cash, and if you want to kill someone, just get it over with. Anything to get away from my I'm pretty sure half-sister."

The Hawk Moth dressed man frowned deeply, "May I come in…? We have a lot to discuss. Zoe's alive and well, and I can tell you exactly where she is."

"Uh…fuck no. You tell me right here, where I can close the door if necessary. I wouldn't have even opened this door if I weren't expecting pizza, so you should have just e-mailed me. If you know where I live, you know my e-mail." Had this been three years ago, she would have gladly let him in, but there is a thing called stranger danger, and said stranger knows location of supposedly dead sister.

"Do you want to know where Zoe is or not?"

She paused, "I do. More than anything. But you're being creepy as fuck. And if you know where she is, why not bring her here?"

The man glared, then calmed himself, "She doesn't want to come, she's happy away. But I can take you to her."

She weighed her options. Leave Joselyn, find Zoe but get grounded—and being grounded means losing a bed and sometimes meals—or stay with the little brat, and lose any chance of finding Zoe forever.

It was barely a choice. Food and sleep be damned.

"Take me to her."

He grinned way too maliciously for her not to regret her decision immediately, "Good choice." He gripped her wrist and then she found herself in…okay, was this guy some Hawk Moth fangirl? This was turning into a weird day.

"Welcome Eden." He then held an akuma in his hand.

"What the heck is going in?" Eden almost shouted, before reigning herself in, "Sorry, but this is ridiculous. Did I just sell my soul to a crackpot? And is that an akuma?!" The akuma landed in a bracelet,

" _Wayfinder, I am Hawk Moth. I'm giving you the chance to escape your home life, but in return, you must destroy Zoe Carpenter. But isn't that what you want?"_

Eden looked up at him in alarm "Wait. You want me to _kill_ my sister?! WHAT THE HECK?! I do not want to destroy her, I miss her more than anything! You freaking lunatic!"

"B-But…" He stuttered, not expecting this, "she left you! She left you alone and didn't even say goodbye! She doesn't miss you!"

"I haven't heard a whopper that big since my second cousin Maud said all those men were coming to her house for exciting games of bridge. She was very clearly taken against her will, and I have nothing against her! I just want her back!" She ripped off the bracelet and snapped it, breaking the connection and sprinted for dear life towards the conveniently open butterfly window, jumping with more height than she thought possible.

She had expected it to just be for show, not a real observatory in the fucking Agreste mansion.

She fell.

But also landed in a tree just outside the walls of the large building. She crept down the tree and only had one question:

What the hell just happened? And why couldn't she curse? Fine, maybe that was two questions, but while she didn't usually curse, this situation was worthy of it, and lack of ability to do so was also noteworthy.

She ran away from the mansion for a bit before deciding to weigh her options like her logic talent had been screaming at her to do for at least ten minutes. She hid in an alleyway and began talking to herself,

"Okay. Am I animated? Yes. Am I probably drugged and in some dream? Yes. Do I have anywhere to go? No." She looked outside and saw a poster of the six heroes, "Am I in _Miraculous Ladybug_? Seems like it." She pondered what this meant. If she was just in some weird dream, she was lucid dreaming—while probably being kidnapped by the Hawk Moth fangirl that suddenly turned into the real Hawk Moth, but that wasn't a huge priority right now because there was nothing she could do about that at this given moment—if she was lucid dreaming, then she could do whatever the hell she wanted. Maybe she could hug Tikki! She giggled as her inner child came out after years; she was in a weird as fuck situation, might as well make the best of it.

On that topic of kwamis…maybe she should go to Master Fu. She remembered in Sandboy that Hawk Moth mentioned sensing them on the right bank of the Seine or something like that, so that was a good place to start.

OoOoO

Turned out she was already on the right bank of the Seine, and found him within the hour, looking like an excited tourist, all the while giving herself a headache with her hearing aids at max, so she could hear any possible akumas—this may have led to an embarrassing encounter with a pigeon.

She knocked and opened the door, "Hello? Master Fu?"

Master Fu came in from another room, "Marinette—who are you?"

Eden waved sheepishly, "Um…hi...I know this sounds crazy, but I think Hawk Moth just kidnapped me and sucked me into a TV show." She was talking quickly, knowing full well she sounded completely insane.

He stared at her, "Um…again, who are you?"

"I'm Eden Carpenter; a girl from another world where all this is a TV show, a creepy guy said he knows where my sister is, I get kidnapped, and suddenly I'm being told to destroy her."

That was when he looked alarmed, "Eden Imelda Carpenter? Like…Zoe's little sister?"

"Yeah. Didn't I just say that?"

He looked at her, "She said you were eleven…"

"Well, three years does make people older."

He gasped, "Oh no…I thought no time would pass, that way she could go back with no problem. Not that I would if I were her."

Fair. World War III was going to happen any day now. But that begged the question,

"So…am I in a lucid dream or not?"

"Unless your sister is active in the same dream, no." Eden pinched herself just to check. Nothing.

Wayzz emerged and looked her over, "How could this be Master? I thought kwamis were only told of the spell after Nooroo and Duusu went missing. And if he really did, then he knows who Zoe is and she's in grave danger."

"No kidding." Eden muttered, before putting a hand to her mouth as she had been trying to say, "No shit."

Master Fu was chuckled worriedly, "You're wondering about the no cursing? Side effect, it should be gone in a day or so. Though since Zoe spiked the rating to nearly M with her language alone, I would think that wouldn't be a problem for you."

"Okay. So, my sister's in danger, Adrienette is real, Chameleon is gonna be a whole lot of fun," that last one was dripping with so much sarcasm it was almost tangible. She wasn't usually sarcastic, but this was a really weird day, "and where do I fit in all of this?"

"I can let you stay here as my ward." Master Fu said, "But I am sad to say, you must never reveal who you truly are to your sister, otherwise that could both her and you in even more danger."

"Wait… are you telling me I literally crossed dimensions to see my sister again, and I'm not allowed to tell her who I am?!"

"She thinks you're still eleven. Do you think she'd believe you?"

"I've seen the show, and I know she's seen and done weirder stuff than that."

Master Fu couldn't deny that, not even a little.

"I said you could not tell her who you truly are, I did not say you could not interact with her. I will send you to school like a normal girl, and you will be in her class. Alright?"

Eden sighed, sipping tea offered by Wayzz, "Yes. Thank you for letting me stay." Her eyes lit up a bit, "But can I at least have a Miraculous?"

"No. Again, far too dangerous. Maybe in time." He pulled out his iPad with the registration forms open, "What do you wish your alias to be?"

Eden smiled, remembering the alias she had fashioned in a similar fashion Zoe had created Claudia Mitchells, and Zoe didn't know of it, "Evelyn. Evelyn Autumn." She looked towards the Miracle Box in the gramophone.

If she was going to be in the Quantic Universe, she was going to get a Miraculous, whether Fu like it or not, but she would at least be decent enough to wait until the heroes needed help.

In the meantime, she was going to do more research to see what her dear sister had been doing off the screen.

OoOoO

Gabriel seethed in his office. He had sensed such negative emotions from that girl! How in god's name had he mistaken that hatred for the wrong sister?! In his defense, neither he or even Zoe knew about the new one. He made a note to never want to meet that one, because if she was anything like her sisters—and from what Eden had said, she was worse—he would leap out a window.

Eden was just as cynical and rude as her big sister. His grand plan had failed. He had thought Eden would be angry Zoe left, leaving her the target of their mother's abuse, and would hate her just as much as Lila did Ladybug, and would have no qualms with destroying her; and Zoe would be too afraid to hurt her. No, that plan crumbled. And now another person—a Carpenter, god forbid—knew his secret identity and probably run to somewhere he couldn't find her.

He grabbed the brand-new machete—because he was ashamed to admit he had checked Zoe's search history to find that website she bought all her weapons from—and twirled it in his hand.

It was due time for Zoe to not be a problem anymore. One Carpenter was more than enough for France, and he had already planned to do this.

He called Natalie, who was starting to recover from using the Peacock Miraculous, but was still taking it easy, "Natalie, tell Zoe to come to me when she gets back from the photoshoot, and make sure Adrien isn't around, because only one of us will be walking away, and it won't be her. It's time to settle this."

 **A/N: I'm mean, I know. But Gabriel should have known not to mess with a teenage Carpenter, it only ends in disaster. Also, note he changed his mask after Fireheart's little comments in** _ **Mayura**_ **.**

 **And one more thing, Eden's name is pronounced Ed-en.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: And it is here, the moment of dreaded truth and potential (haha) justice!**

 **Also, Paula and I watched** _ **Chameleon**_ **, and this is the conversation when Plagg tried to kiss Adrien,**

 **Plagg: If this an enchanted sleep, what can possibly wake him up? Oh no, not an enchanted kiss please. Um, nobody will ever know.**

 **Paula: … *goes back and reads chapter 15 of Fireheart* …**

 **Paula: …**

 **Paula: Carly, did you predict the future?**

 **Me: I told you I'm a physic.**

 **Paula: Bullshit.**

 **Me: Fine. But that was still amazing.**

…

 **Warning – Major violence (but you clicked this, so you probably know that)**

 **Chapter 2: Revenge is best served cold, unless you're dealing with a fiery bitch, in which case that's a terrible idea, use a knife, and even then, be careful**

And this was why Zoe never went to photoshoots, especially without Adrien, because she hated every second of it. Anyone who knew her knew she loved taking pictures, but not going through the trouble of "smile for the camera" or "chin down" or "Zoe get your ass back here or your grounded! I don't care if you need to use the restroom!" Three guesses who ruined that for her. Not Gabriel.

Not to mention her dress—god for fucking bid—was short, purple, tank-top styled sleeves, and she had to keep her KA-BAR at her thigh where her switchblade was supposed to be.

Adrien was at Marinette's for the night. The make out had been the biproduct of two years of love and longing, and Zoe herself being a terrible influence on them—now it was a relationship so full of fluff it might as well be a cartoon sheep. Oh yeah, and apparently Marinette had figured out Adrien's secret identity during the ball, because he had been acting a little too much like his superhero alias. Oddly enough, after only ten minutes of "What is this?!" she came to terms with it, and they decided to continue trying, but would remain friends if it didn't work out, and she was glad to have him come clean about having known her identity for a while, blaming Zoe for that. That was the singular reason she wished she had stayed instead of going with Eli.

She wondered where the blackberry-eyed boy was. She had forgotten to get his number, and he hadn't been at school yet, so she had no idea what he was doing. It had been two weeks since the ball, and she was getting curious, because he was technically registered when she asked Mr. Damocles about it.

It felt like forever before she was on her way home with Gorilla.

"Zoe, Mr. Agreste would like to see you." Natalie said, making her raise an eyebrow skeptically,

"Sure. Let me just put my shit upstairs."

"He said immediately."

"I'm quite sure he can wait three minutes."

"Now!" Natalie snapped, coughing from the effort. Zoe would normally feel bad, but Natalie brought that upon herself. She still reluctantly walked into the atelier.

"Gabriel…I was told to see you? And why am I not allowed to go change? I did your photoshoot and didn't flip off the camera this time."

Gabriel walked past her, and she felt more uncomfortable, which turned into genuine fear as Gabriel shut and locked the door. He turned to her, all kindness gone from his eyes. She returned the favor.

"Listen up you little bitch," he said calmly, "I know who you are, where you're from, and what you're capable of. I also know you know of my goals and means to achieve them." He walked up to her, standing imposingly, taking full advantage of their height difference, "So I'll give you one chance, give me Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous, or tell me who they are so I can do it myself."

Zoe gasped, letting her true rage show, "Or else what?"

"Or else I'll have to take drastic measures. Such as I know the whereabouts of your sister and the means to hurt both her and you."

That was the final straw. Nobody threatened her baby sister and got away with it. She met his stare, raising both her eyebrows to show she wasn't kidding; she said her words slowly, like talking to the small child,

"If you, or anyone associated with you, so much as breathes near her, I will kill you."

Gabriel scoffed, "Worth a shot. Not like I won't kill you first." He turned to the desk and pulled a full-on machete out of the drawer, swinging it at her as she barely dove out of the way.

It was a Kukri. The Kukri, more a large knife than a machete, was created by the Gurkhas of Nepal and was carried by their army and used by their people as a general-use tool and weapon. The big heavy end provided chopping force close to that of the hatchet, and the sharp inner curve gave great control for finer tasks. Cold Steel made a great Kukri, like this one was made of. Yes, she wondered why that was in her brain and how that could possibly matter at this given moment; a knife was being used against her, that was the top priority.

She pulled out her own KA-BAR, using it to block another blow.

"So, we're really doing this?" She asked, "Here? In this tiny office?"

"Correct. Neither of us will transform, lest we take this outside and have one or both of our identities revealed." He ran at her and trying to use his size against her, but she knew enough Jiu-Jitsu to use his momentum against him, sending him crashing to the ground as she was able to get a slice at his calf.

"You piece of shit!" He jumped up, distracting her with the knife, and punched her across the cheek, hard. The ring on his middle finger cut through her skin, leaving a nasty gash. He lost all technique and kept swinging as Zoe looked around for something to use before he hit something important other than cutting a finger or grazing the skin of her forearms.

Never keep a pattern. Know your enemy's weakness. Use your surroundings. Stay calm.

Those were the four pieces of advice her Dad had given her when training. She knew he hated fire, and that designer clothing wouldn't help…what about surroundings…

She swerved under another strike, running towards the large mannequins, pushing one towards him, crushing his foot as he roared in either rage or pain, before picking one up and throwing the thing like it weighed nothing. That was bad.

Fortunately, he seemed to think his rage could make him throw it farther, and it just crashed into the computer, two feet away from even touching Zoe.

She didn't want to fight Gabriel—well, she did—not until Adrien was sixteen so he could emancipate himself and they could book it, no longer relying on him as their guardian. They both got good money from modelling, and the rumor of the bet she had made about the Heroes' Day attack got popular, and she had managed to get 15,000 euros from it. That was fifty people! They were well on their way to getting that flat—but they probably could get it if they added the model money. But she could fight Gabriel now.

He ran at her again, trying to perform the same wrestling move he had tried to use on Cat Noir when she sliced his arm, but this time she let him do it—and oh god, that hurt like a bitch—wrapping her body around his arm and pulling forward sharply until there was a sickening crack as she snapped his elbow.

It was odd to her that he was the one to start the fight, but she was the one winning. It was her fighting style, while she hit hard, she made sure to bait her opponent beforehand.

He screamed and threw her off with his good arm, which was still holding the machete. She crashed into another mannequin-statue, getting her legs pinned by it. And this was why she had preferred to fight him in the lair, without all the mannequins. But hey, he wasn't going to be using that elbow for a while, or that computer.

He brought the blade down, straight for her heart, but she was able to block, squirming out from under the statue. Then Gabriel started pushing the blade to the side, until the significantly smaller blade couldn't block anymore, and the machete tore through her right side, deep.

She screamed as agony coursed through her and Gabriel grabbed her by the shoulder, shoving her against the wall as blood oozed from her side rapidly. He bore his teeth, using his good arm to keep her chest pressed against the wall,

"Not so tough now, are you little Fireheart?" He reached for her Miraculous, but made the mistake of getting cocky and removing his arm, because her fight or flight was still on. She kicked him sharply in the dick, sending him crashing to his knees as she grabbed one of the many pictures of Adrien and whacked him over the head with it as he fell unconscious.

Right then. Time to turn fight into flight. She had to get out before she bled out.

She unlocked the door quickly and burst out of the mansion, ignoring Natalie running to Gabriel in shock, ignoring where she was even going as she ran, trying to get as far as possible before her adrenaline failed. Hopefully she could make it to the hospital, or to someone trustworthy.

She pressed her hand to her horrific wound she ran into the street, cutting her now-bare feet on some broken glass along the way. Pain radiated through her body and while she'd managed to ignore it, it only seemed to be increasing now that her adrenaline was no longer necessary. She put as much pressure on the wound as she could, but it didn't seem to do much.

She knew how it felt to get cut with a knife like this. When she trained with her Dad, he used dull training knives, but charged them with enough electricity to shock you while mimicking the feeling. It wasn't the pain that really bothered her, more the fact she was bleeding profusely.

She winced as she continued her painstaking run away from the mansion. The swing where he had connected her abdomen with his arm felt like it left a serious bruise, even though she snapped his elbow as a result. She slowed her run as her lungs had more of a weight on them that she couldn't ignore. The day was catching up to her as her fatigue spiked and all efforts to ignore the growing pain were quickly being overwhelmed by a desperate need for rest and recovery.

She pulled out her phone before she found herself unable, going straight to Adrien's voicemail,

"Adrien, listen, he knows, about me. Don't go home. Don't go home. It's not safe, don't go home. He might suspect you, don't go home." She repeated her plea in a chant. Gabriel could suspect Adrien knowing, and she couldn't be responsible for him getting hurt. Because if he found out her secret from a couple slips of the tongue, even seeing a fake Adrien and Cat Noir together may not deter him from that theory, and Adrien might get hurt.

She found her strength wane upon stumbling up the street some more, close to an unfamiliar mansion that wasn't the one she had begun calling home. Landing on her knees, she collapsed on the sidewalk as her adrenaline decided to take the next bus out. She just needed to rest for a moment.

"Zoe? Come on, you need to get up." Blazze begged. She gazed at her weakening chosen, her golden eyes full of fear. The tiny dragon opened her mouth again, but her ears perked up to a sound and she darted into Zoe's messy hair.

"Zoe?" A familiar voice spoke to her from the mansion, coming closer. "What are you doing? Are you alright—Holy crap! You're hurt!" He looked around, "Someone! Help! Call 911!"

"I'm fine," Zoe replied, waving her hand dismissively, not paying real attention to the owner of the familiar voice, knowing that voice was masculine and meant safe, so it didn't really matter. She winced as her side flared up when glancing up at of Eli, and the man in question seemed to notice as she curled up on the ground. Well, there he was. And now she knew where he lived.

"Bullshit." Eli snapped, "I'm watching you bleed profusely!" What he didn't noticed, but Zoe's increasingly blurry brain did, was that there were three people within eyesight, and all of them were victim to the bystander effect—in which nobody did anything because they thought someone else was doing it. She wasn't kidding, they had done an experiment on her world with a hundred-people watching a woman get mugged—no women were truly harmed in the making of that experiment—and nobody did shit.

The urgency in his voice made her frown. They'd met once, on one lovely night a couple weeks ago, and while she considered him a friend, he seemed to be worried about her wellbeing. She smiled softly as she attempted to reassure him.

"I'm fine," she repeated, only to catch her breath when the slight turn made her side give her an old fashion fuck you, causing a grunt of pain to slip out as her blood continued to spill on the sidewalk. No, she was not fully processing what he was saying.

Eli nodded dejectedly as she would have expected. However, much to her surprise, the male teen then stooped down and picked her up, bridal style. On a normal day, he'd get a punch to the jugular for that—not that she was strong enough to fight him at the moment. She smiled tiredly up at him and he appeared to reciprocate with a smile of his own, though it was strained.

Upon standing, Eli carried her up to the porch of what was likely his home looking around at the street, when a shooting pain darted through her core, causing her to tremble and tumble out of his arms and onto the porch. She caught herself on the railing with a soft whimper. Eli paused as she regained her footing, hands hovering around her. But as he observed her more carefully, his eyes burning into her, he appeared to notice her skin had become ashen, and he was likely seeing the blood pouring from that nasty side wound, even though she was not fully aware he had seen it within seconds of getting near her. Eli stepped forward,

"Princess, if I may…"

Zoe looked at him in confusion before nodding in agreement. Eli gestured toward himself to which she smiled again, albeit weakly at her new friend's display of compassion and leaned against him. A small part of her brain let herself be at rest, feeling truly safe for the first time in a while, but she had to keep strong.

Eli took her wrist, gently guiding her arm over his own shoulder as he very gently wrapped his arm around her torso careful to avoid the knife wound, pulling her close to his side, ready to pick her up again, when she gasped sharply, completely crumpling. Eli's attention immediately shot to her in alarm as he tried to stop her fall by lifting again at her waist, only for her to let out a cry of pain,

"Zoe?!"

She whimpered as she rested on the railing, sitting down, because that was so much more comfortable, "I'm hurt."

He didn't seem the slightest bit surprised, but he was furious, but not at her, "By who?!"

"Hawk Moth," she slurred nonchalantly, avoiding his gaze by directing her eyes at the ground in front of her, trying to stop herself from feeling safe, so she wouldn't relax.

He put his fingers under her chin, so she'd look at him and maybe trying to access her ticklish spot so she'd have something else to think about, but his glare traveled past her,

"Did an akuma do this to you?"

"No."

She could have kicked herself. Why had she said that? She should have just stuck to a lie or rolled with an akuma, just sucked it up the pain and asked Marinette or Fu or someone to stitch her up.

Eli didn't seem to understand the answer and repeated the question, but her head was getting more and more stuck in black, her vision overcome by a sensation that ruined any excuse she managed to create. It was probably blood loss, and there was a good chance internal bleeding. She slumped in Eli's arms as vertigo hit, tipping over when his voice came more desperately. She blinked blankly at him as she was placed on her back where he rested her. Quickly, but carefully, Eli pulled her torn dress up to expose her stomach.

…

Eli's breath caught in his throat as Zoe's full abdomen came into view. He had made sure to only pull to just under her bra to maintain her modesty, not that she was lucid enough to care—thankfully the dress had been cut down the middle horizontally, so it was like lifting up a torn shirt—but now he was simply afraid of what could be on her chest if her stomach was like this.

Instead of what was supposed to be creamy white skin, there were the starts of bruising covered most of her gut. It was fresh, and that just proved how horrible it was. That knife wound went through her side messily, very deep, and it would absolutely leave a nasty scar. Same for the deep gash on her cheek, likely made from getting punched by someone with a ring. Eli shrieked into his newfound home, finally realizing what he should have done when he first saw her—which was to ensure someone called the damn paramedics—calling for the maid by the door to call an ambulance.

"How bad is it?" She asked tentatively as she shivered. Her dark locks were splayed everywhere, and he brushed it away.

"It's…"

His response died on his lips when his nearly violet gaze returned to that of Zoe's half-lidded deep blue one. The gash on her cheek, the bruising—probably internal bleeding—at her stomach, the nasty knife wound cutting through her side... All of it suggested she had been in a fight, probably to the death. So, if it wasn't an akuma, then who…?

"Princess, please. How did this happen?"

Zoe looked directly back at Eli, but she didn't seem all there, "Hawk Moth. Like, in the flesh. He came and attacked me. Said I'm too much of a threat."

Eli's breath abandoned him as his stomach lurched, hatred for the villain making itself apparent even though there hadn't even been any akumas since he came—his plane landed an hour after the grand defeat with the scarlet villains. Zoe kept her unfocused eyes on him, her expression that of uncomfortable pain-laden worry. She parted her lips to speak, her ghastly white lips, stained with blood from a split lip, making them a cherry color. Then she closed her mouth, just staring up at him,

"Zoe…"

Tears welled up in Eli's eyes and his voice faltered. His trembling fingers clumsily brushed her hair back again, running his hand through it as he tried to soothe the girl who had made him feel welcome, this beautiful girl who was his first friend in Paris. She was dying, that much was obvious, and the damn paramedics were taking their sweet ass time.

Eli panicked as Zoe began choking, no longer taking in the necessary amount of air. His hands flew to her head, guiding her chin upward to open her airway fully, careful to avoid that one ticklish spot that could make her squirm out of his grasp—how he knew to do that was not a topic needed to by discuss at the given moment. Emergency paramedics _finally_ scurried around him at some point, applying an oxygen mask and checking vitals before hastily moving Zoe onto a backboard and he watched as her eyes slowly closed and her body dropped limp. Urgent communication and movement between the medical staff blended into a haze as Eli watched everything unfold with his friend's unconscious form at the center of it. The ambulance's siren rang in his ears as they sailed down the street, speeding toward to the hospital.

She was alive, and that was good, and Eli hoped she would remain in the land of the living, but he still felt a rage bubbling within him while looking at the girl with the bright smile, now pale and unmoving with little breath. He clenched his hand into a fist, digging his nails into his palm, creating little half-moons. He had come here instead of to other places because he wanted to learn more about these heroes, but now this felt personal.

Hawk Moth was going to pay.

OoOoO

Adrien and Marinette laughed together as they watched _Stardust_ , a movie involving witches, humanoid stars and a crossdressing pirate. They were cuddled on Marinette's bed, with the computer open. The new couple was quite surprised they were allowed to spend the night together, not that they were complaining, they promised to behave themselves.

Marinette found she liked Adrien being Cat Noir. Sha had fallen in love with Adrien for his kind heart, but there were times Cat Noir caught her attention—see the fact she held zero qualms with kissing him when Dark Cupid came around—she had remembering thinking about the fact she would have given Cat Noir a chance if Adrien didn't exist. But this was better. He had Adrien's kind heart and was just as much of a jokester as Cat Noir. This was the real Adrien, a happy median between the two personas. And it was surprisingly comforting to be dating her best friend.

The movie ended, and she sat up from where she had been leaning on his chest, "Chaton, what time is it?"

Adrien checked his phone, "Roughly five—wait, I have a voicemail from Zoe." He played the voicemail,

" _Adrien, listen, he knows, about me. Don't go home. Don't go home. It's not safe, don't go home. He might suspect you, don't go home."_

Both he and Marinette froze.

"Who's he?" She asked, Adrien shrugged, fear apparent in his eyes,

…

"Zoe played the pronoun game, so I don't know the answer, but to stir such a reaction, I'd say my father or Hawk Moth." He had yet to tell her about that, and he felt bad for keeping it a secret, but he and Zoe decided to tell her as soon as they were effectively separated from the fashion designer. But he knew the two were one in the same, and his stomach churned. He called her back, his heart sighing in relief when she picked up,

He put it on speaker, "Zoe, you're on speaker. Listen to me, where are you?"

" _Um…this isn't Zoe."_ Both Adrien and Marinette paused at the masculine voice coming from Zoe's phone. He didn't sound intimidating like some sort of captor, he sounded afraid,

"Who is it then?" Marinette asked, "And what are you doing with Zoe's phone?"

" _My name is Eli."_ The voice said, _"Zoe…she's…"_

"Where is she?!" Adrien begged, identifying the name Eli with the boy Zoe had snuck out with and knew he was safe for her.

" _I-I…"_ Eli stammered, _"I found her collapsed by my house. She mentioned she had been attacked by Hawk Moth. My maid called the paramedics and she's in surgery right now."_ He sucked in a breath, seeming to be trying to keep back tears, _"It's bad. Really bad."_

Adrien thought his heart stopped for a moment as he dropped the phone, "We're on our way."

 **A/N: These chapters will probably be divided between Eden and Zoe. And please know I hold no qualms with killing off characters, nobody's safe. No, I am not confirming Zoe will die.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I do apologize for last chapter, which was most likely darker than expected or wanted, it just felt called for because Gabriel is just a tad but insane.**

 **Also, the reason Paula's been out is because she's trying to get caught up in school, having gotten behind from the flu, and she is dealing with the most incompetent groupmates for a history project known to man—that's called babysitting total strangers while working on my not-paid job.**

 **This was originally going to be an Eden-based chapter, but I realized that since even if Zoe lives she'll be down for the count for a good couple chapters, so Eden will have the spotlight for at least** _ **Chameleon**_ **and I shouldn't worry about it. Besides, this seems to deserve it's own chapter.**

 **Chapter 3: Zoe's fate**

Adrien and Marinette transformed and leapt out the skylight, sprinting to the hospital. Normally Ladybug was faster, but hearing his sister had been hurt made Cat Noir leave his girlfriend and partner in the dust, revealing he could outrun more than just panthers, and maybe manage it in his civilian form and they detransformed and rushed into the hospital.

"Zoe Agreste!?" He demanded as he found himself at the front desk. The woman clicked a few keys before looking up,

"Hm. She's still in surgery honey, please wait in the waiting room."

Marinette took Adrien's increasingly shaky hand and led him to the waiting room, where Eli was pacing. The other boy looked up to face them,

"I take it you're Adrien." He said, calmer than his current demeanor made them think possible. Adrien nodded, "And judging by the fact I'm able to be here without being attacked by the paparazzi, I take it you're Eli." Eli nodded in turn, looking around to point out there were only a couple other people here, all of which had paid attention and noticed Adrien, but one look from Eli made them choose to stay quiet. It reminded Adrien of Zoe, bending people to her will with a simple gesture.

He sat down with Marinette, "How is she?" She asked.

"Last I saw her? Not good. She said Hawk Moth attacked her, something about being too much of a threat."

Adrien nodded, and Marinette gasped, realizing who the 'he' was that Zoe mentioned in her voicemail, "That makes sense." Adrien mumbled, "She's taken out two akumas as a civilian, and has been investigating the theory my mother's disappearance is connected to Hawk Moth."

Marinette looked to him, "You never told me that." Adrien shrugged while Eli began lapping the room, pulling out some earbuds and showing her girlfriend the scene from Origins when Hawk Moth first uses the Miraculous—it was one of the only scenes he had, to avoid identity reveals if anyone checks his phone, the one other was the Umbrella scene.

"I didn't tell you because we weren't sure yet. But Zoe…also found this…" He pulled up the pictures he kept in a hidden tab of his mother in the CCR.

"Holy crap!" Marinette gasped, "Two of the biggest cases in Paris are connected!? We need to tell the police about this! But…" she frowned to herself, "Why would someone kidnap Mrs. Agreste? We already removed Gabriel as a suspect when he got akumatized into the Collector."

…

Eli was worried about Zoe, sure, that much was obvious, but that was not why he was pacing—when he was scared, he normally just sat and fidgeted—it was because these two newcomers to the waiting room were discussing very fascinating topics, just quiet enough to be considered private, but not quiet enough the bug he planted on Adrien's shirt while walking past him couldn't pick it up.

Hawk Moth had a connection to Mrs. Agreste, and Zoe knew too much. Okay, that made sense, as Zoe seemed like the type of girl to get herself in situations like that. What was really intriguing was how Adrien had seemed to know for a while and didn't say anything to the police. He was scared enough for Zoe that unless he was the world's best faker, he was genuine, and there was no way he could be Hawk Moth and in extent the one to hurt her—not to mention he clearly had a strong alibi.

From what he was hearing Gabriel Agreste also was off the suspect list, but that didn't mean he'd do more digging to find out how Mrs. Agreste went missing in the first place, and anyone who might have a vendetta against her—he also realized this could be some asshole who went into if-I-can't-have-you mode and wants to use the Miraculouses to make her love him, or some shit like that. Admittedly, he didn't know much about these Miraculous other than the fact they're magic jewelry owned by certain people and gives them powers.

He continued to pace, fidgeting with his earpiece as he deactivated the bug upon Marinette comforting a crying Adrien, because that seemed extra private; he already took notes of the interesting stuff.

He sat back down and decided to focus on memorizing everything in the room, but had to stop when he saw the roses and the color red. Dark red. Blood red. He wasn't sure if he could ever look at that color again.

He sighed, remembering wondering how beautiful Zoe would look in red instead of that blue-green gown, but now he wasn't sure he wanted to know, because she had been stained with the color and nearly died in his arms.

He turned to Adrien, "Hey…so how'd you and Marinette meet?"

Adrien looked up, his eyes puffy and red, "Hm?" He smiled slightly, "Oh, let's just say she fell for me, literally."

"I tripped into him in the street the first time he snuck out of the house." Marinette clarified. That was cute, he had to admit.

He was brought from his musings when the door opened, and a man came out. He had dirty blonde hair and black rimmed glasses,

All three shot up, "Zoe?"

The doctor looked down sheepishly, "Friends and family of Zoe Agreste?" They nodded, "Come with me."

They walked through the door and the poor doctor immediately got bombarded by questions.

"I am Dr. Winston," he said nervously, as though he wanted to be anywhere but here, though not due to irritation, "Zoe's…she's alive, I'll tell you that. We lost her a couple times, but were able to bring her back with little to no problem—she's a fighter that one."

Eli frowned, "I'm sensing a 'but'."

"But she lost a lot of blood, and required multiple transfusions, but we weren't able to prevent her from slipping into a coma. Fortunately, we predict she'll wake up in a week or two, but it will be touch and go until then, if it happens at all."

…

Adrien felt his vision blur as his knees buckled, falling over and being swiftly caught by Eli. He hadn't heard most of what the doctor had said, only "Coma" and "if it happens" and "touch and go" she wasn't out of the woods yet and maybe never.

He hoped with every fiber of his being that they'd enter that room and she'd be awake, grumpy, and begin reciting the curse world alphabet at Gabriel being a true asshole.

But what he saw made his knees even weaker until they had the consistency of Jello, so Mariette and Eli sat him down in a chair.

Zoe's already naturally pale skin was practically grey, and hair falling around her face messily. She was wearing a hospital gown—something he could already predict her hating with every fiber of her being—with multiple IVs, nose tubes, and stiches along her left cheek, where there was a gash so deep it was unlikely to not leave a scar. Even like this, she was pretty, but it wasn't like a soap opera or a television show as she looked dead, not like she was sleeping; the only signs of life at all were the slow rise and fall of her chest and the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor.

He clutched her non-bandaged hand, pressing his forehead to it, drenching the ice cold limb with his tears,

"Please wake up Zo," he begged, "They're saying you might die. Please prove them wrong, just to spite these idiots." He laughed humorlessly, "Remember when you were failing English class and your teacher said there was no way you could pass before the end of the quarter at the end of the week and you might as well drop out, then you managed to pass fair and square with a B, just to spite her? If you could do that, you can do this." He began crying again, "Don't leave me…"

Eli took one last look at them and left, demanding Dr. Winston give him constant updates on her condition, but Adrien didn't really care.

…

Marinette stroked his hair, "Kitty, you and I both know she's too stubborn to die. She'll be up in a week or so and mock you for worrying, probably insisting something or other that I can't think of right now and is totally obscure but makes sense."

Adrien looked up, "I need her to be okay…"

"I know Chaton, I know."

OoOoO

"Sir, Zoe lives." Natalie informed her boss after his personal doctor came and bandaged his arm and calf, believing a tale about some punk ass burglar doing this.

Gabriel snarled, "I should have known she'd prepare for that…" He shrugged, "But she's comatose, so I guess I could just pull the plug on her."

"Sir…" Natalie took a breath, coughing, "Maybe you should let her live? She has a reason to have not told anyone yet, and whatever it is, maybe it's safer for her to be the only one other than her sister. Not that she won't kill you if she wakes up and finds out about that."

"But she could use that over me…" He took off his glasses, trying and failing to clean them, so Natalie did it, "Adrien would understand why I am doing this, but she's blunt and probably doesn't know the full story, what if she turns Adrien against me? I can't lose him."

Natalie frowned deeply, knowing that had happened already, but not from Hawk Moth—or that was just a small factor. "Do what you see fit, sir. Her life is in your hands." She got up and left.

…

Gabriel sighed, hissing as another of spasm of pain came from his arm. Damnit, he hated that girl, but Adrien loved her like a sister. He understood where Natalie was coming from, but now the police might question her if she wakes up, she knew too much.

"What are you going to do, Master?" Nooroo asked hesitantly.

"I don't know. I need her gone, but she'll find refuge with someone else if I kick her out, and I can't send her back because I was not the one to summon her, so the only solution I see is to kill her. Pulling the plug would be so easy…" He huffed, "I'll let the week pass and see how things go from here." He laid down and decided to try sleeping.

Nooroo looked out the window, "Please be safe, Zoe."

 **A/N: Next chapter is Chameleon. Eden is a fluffy character, a little sweetheart, which most of you will probably see as a refreshing change from Zoe's homicidal tendencies.**

 **Also, Adrien will be a bit OOC on handling Lila and will in general be 300% done for the next chapter, and will be telling Gabriel off in a couple chapters, and all that fun jazz.**

 **And Dr. Winston is from _Rise of Papillon_ , and since he is based off Paula's and my doctor, he will be the designated doctor figure in most of our stories, so have fun with that.**

 **And more reviews will keep Zoe alive! So if you want her to live, please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Contrary to what the title suggests, there is no actual rape involved, but the fact Chameleon is throwing her(?)self at everyone and trying to kiss them does technically count as sexual harassment, something that will obviously be pointed out**

 **Also in this story, there will be some of Adrien and Gabriel's point of view alongside Eli's and occasionally Marinette's. This chapter is roughly 50:50 between Adrien and Eden, but the next chapter will be 100% Eden centric.**

 **Chapter 4: Of fake physics, voice recorders, rape-y chameleons, and another akuma taken out by civilians (Is Hawk Moth even trying anymore?)**

Eden was skipping down the street to school, her hair in braided pigtails for the first time in a while—hey, Marinette wasn't the only one allowed to rock the pigtails. Today was the day she would see her big sis again. And Master Fu needed to be better with wording, because he had specified not to _tell_ anyone, there was nothing about her finding out on her own or someone else finding out on their own and telling her.

And so, she would be as extra as humanely possible.

She continued skipping happily and sang to herself,

" _This whole town can slow you down_

 _People takin' the easy way_

 _But I know exactly where I am going_

 _Getting closer 'n closer every day_

 _And I am almost there_

 _I'm almost there_

 _People back home think I'm crazy_

 _But I don't care._

 _Trials and tribulations,_

 _I've had my share._

 _There ain't nothing gonna stop me now_

 _'Cause I'm almost there."_

She giggled in glee as she made it to the school, but froze when she saw Lila beside Miss Bustier. Damnit. She had hoped for one day with her sister before the drama started back up. Nope, guess not. _Here comes Chameleon, here comes Chameleon, right down Chameleon lane._

Miss Bustier turned to her, "Evelyn Autumn?"

"That's me." She pulled out her doctor and guardian slip for her hearing, "Here's my doctor's note for my hearing problem." Then she saw worry flash across Lila's eyes as the teacher turned to her,

"Lila? Do you have a doctor's note?"

The worry was gone as quickly as it appeared, "I've had tinnitus for a while Miss. I didn't think it was necessary, but I can get one."

Eden growled a bit, before taking a huge bite out of a donut to calm down. Lila reminded her of her childhood bully—the one Zoe socked in the eye—she manipulated everyone and became the queen of the school using lies and made the lives of anyone who dare call her out miserable, hence why Zoe punched her.

They walked into the classroom and Eden frowned again. The seating was all wrong, as Adrien was sitting alone in the front and all the couples were scattered around, and Marinette was standing in the middle looking confused.

"Good morning students. I'm sure you've all heard by now, but Lila's home from her trip to Achu, and she's back in school with us again. And we also have a new student, Evelyn."

"Hi everyone." Lila greeted while Eden surveyed everyone in search of her sister. What she did notice, was that Adrien had bags under his eyes, wasn't wearing his normal designer clothes, was chewing on his bottom lip and his eyes kept darting to the seat where Zoe was supposed to be. Had something happened to her? Because it obviously involved Zoe, because everyone else was gazing at him occasionally as though wondering if they should comfort him. The thought of her sister being hurt made her stomach churn.

"Oh, a seat in the front row, you all remembered my hearing issue. You're all such sweethearts, all of you." Lila began blowing kisses, but Eden noted she didn't sound truly surprised either. It was odd, as Lila had to be pretty perceptive to have lied to everyone about their interests back in _Volpina_ , so maybe it was because Eden herself was hyper-observant that made it so easy to see the lies, but this was one of the times she wondered how nobody else saw it.

Well, nobody except Adrien, who just sighed in Lila's general direction, and Marinette, who spoke up, "You have a hearing problem Lila?"

Lila sat in what was supposed to be Nino's spot, scooting into Zoe's so she could invade Adrien's personal space. "Yes, I suffer from Tinnitus, a constant ringing in my left ear. I'd had it ever since the sound of an airplane engine burst my eardrum while I was saving Jagged Stone's kitten."

"Isn't Jagged Stone's pet a crocodile?" Adrien looked up, having opened his mouth, clearly about to ask the same thing. Eden looked around and noticed everyone else seemed to be drinking in these lies like imbeciles.

"Now it is, yes. But he had a kitten until he found out he was allergic to it. The best part is since you're such an excellent student Adrien, you'll be able to help me catch up with all the schoolwork I missed while I was traveling with my parents." She put a hand on Adrien's shoulder, "Would you do that for me?"

"Sure Lila. If you give me some serious personal space." He looked up to Miss Bustier, "Miss Bustier, it is rude to evict Marinette from her seat without her around and same with Zoe in her…" he hesitated, "condition. Do you really think she'd be very happy about that? Because I know she would not." He stood up, "So if you are so insistent on moving people without their permission, I will move to the back with my girlfriend, without yours." He got up and sat in the back with Marinette, who seemed impressed at him joining her. Both of them glared at Lila together from the back.

…

Miss Bustier just stared at him. But Adrien didn't give two shits. The police had listened to the voicemail Zoe sent, and officially ordered him to stay at Marinette's until his home was deemed safe, but that was the only good thing in the last two days. Zoe still hadn't woken up, and he just felt angry all the time, and Lila touching him in a way only his girlfriend was allowed to do made him want to forcefully shut her up.

Everyone in class feared he had Brief Psychotic Disorder like Zoe got when he fell and ended up in the hospital, and did everything they could to not provoke him, remembering the horror stories of Kim almost getting throttled, and Zoe in general being more dangerous than usual. Smaller beings are more vicious, because they have less places to store their anger.

He sighed, sometimes he debated just rolling with it, because his patricide desires were getting alarmingly high as of late.

At least Evelyn seemed nice, if not completely confused.

…

Miss Bustier looked back to Eden, "Um…you seem to have come on a bad day. You'll sit in the back with Nathanael."

Eden tried to hide the fear in her tone, "Zoe?"

Lila decided to answer that question, "Did you not know? It's all over the news. Zoe Agreste, attacked by Hawk Moth, now in coma." She stood up, "My return is causing so much trouble, maybe I should have just stayed on the other side of the world. If Marinette has an issue too, then I should be the one to go and sit in the back. It's okay." She cried some crocodile tears as Eden felt bile rise in her throat, barely able to push it back down. Zoe was in a coma…Well, that explained why Master Fu had banned her from the TV for the last couple days, not that the thing wasn't kind of crappy and could barely use Netflix.

Still, she had to remain physically indifferent, because unlike Adrien, who had his head down, shoulder wracked with sobs, she was supposed to have no idea who Zoe was, and was supposed to call out this lying witch. "Well, Lila, did you know there's literally medication to help tinnitus? I know everyone hates the U.S, but Amazon shouldn't have that much of a problem. Not to mention," she pulled up hair to reveal her pink hearing aids, "I am literally almost deaf, while you can hear just fine in one ear. So why are you trying to guilt trip Adrien into coming back over to you? When I can't hear anything short of an explosion without my hearing aids, yet I'm not complaining." She felt like her sister, calling someone out her first day, and she knew Lila would keep a grudge for this, but it wasn't like she gave a crap. This girl was too much like the girl who tormented her for years, and started up again after Zoe disappeared—only to get socked by Eden herself, but she got suspended for that, and opted to choose an option other than violence as it wasn't her forte. But if Lila started suddenly acting like Joselyn, she was going to throw up.

Lila just gawked at her, while everyone else—except Adrien and Marinette, but at this point that went without saying—glared at her as though to say, "How dare you question Lila?!"

"You're lying." Kim snapped, "Those hearing aids are fake." Eden found it odd they were questioning the one with proof, yet Lila was going on her way with everyone seeing her as some angel.

"Need me to prove it? Max, check them over and see if they're real." She pulled them out and handed them to Max, who examined them for a moment, before looking up, handing them back to Eden.

"They're real."

"How did you know Max was tech savvy?" Mylene asked. Eden grinned a little bit, deciding which card to play,

"I'm a psychic. No, I do not see the future, I just get a good feel for people and previous events."

Kim crossed his arms, "Okay. Tell me something about me."

"Okay. You asked Ondine to the movies while she was at the swimming pool and asked through a game of secrets she invented, using the same capsule that was her akumatized object when she was Syren."

Everyone gasped, and Kim looked panicked at how dead accurate that was, and it wasn't something one cold just look up. Adrien, Marinette, Alya, Nino and Chloe all sent her a look that told her that her plan of having them figure it out was working beautifully. Not that it mattered if Zoe was hurt—she decided to go visit her sister in the hospital later. Nobody except Eden noticed Lila's eyes shifted to that of complete hatred for a millisecond, likely for stealing the spotlight.

Miss Bustier clapped her hands to get everyone's attention off 'Evelyn'.

"My mistake. Evelyn, you sit next to Lila. Open you books to page 23."

Eden huffed to herself and opened her textbook. Well, her day had been thoroughly ruined. Maybe she could find something to be happy about later, because she was like Poppy from _Trolls_ in a sense—mutual love of scrapbooking was not relevant—almost always happy and hating it when she wasn't. Maybe Unikitty from _Lego Movie_ —blame Joselyn for having seen that—with her fiery temper. "You all need to be more friendly!" Low-key the quote that defined her relationship with mankind back on her world. But here would be different!

She put some headphones on over her hearing aids, listening to _Can't stop the Feeling_ by Justin Timberlake to try raising her mood. She already knew all this, so calming her emotional turmoil was higher on her priorities list.

Miss Bustier was clearly too done to care. Sweet Adrien had sassed her, her new students hated each other and had taken the class' attention very affectively. She just wanted to get this over with.

OoOoO

Lunch came both too quickly and too slowly for Eden. She spent her classes listening to cheerful music and nobody questioned her when she finished the homework in class with a 100%—for once, those tutors came in handy as she had been a senior back at home, so this was all child's play for her.

Everyone had apparently collectively decided to be Lila's servants.

"That's for you Lila."

"Thank you, you're so sweet."

"Here's your appetizer Lila."

"I've got your main course."

"I'll fetch your dessert."

"I'm sorry I can't carry my own tray. It's almost impossible with this sprained wrist." Okay, back in Volpina, Eden could believe someone telling her Lila was a good liar. Now, she just saw everyone else were dumb.

"Lila's totally lying," Mariette said to her three friends, boyfriend, and the new girl, "she made up that whole tinnitus story just so she could sit next to Adrien. And that sprained wrist is totally bogus too."

"I don't get it Marinette, you barely know Lila. Why all the hate?" Alya asked. Eden took Marinette's hand, then Adrien, making a show to them of having a vision. She turned to Chloe, Nino and Alya as they sat down,

"Okay I'll tell you what I saw in my vision. You remember Lila when she first came to school right after the summer break? She was only here for one day and then she left on that round the world trip, everyone was captivated by her. Something just felt off to Marinette. So, she followed her when she and Adrien were in the park, because Adrien was curious and wanted to know more about Ladybug."

"She lies with every breath." Marinette added, glancing at Eden again.

"Wait, you eavesdropped on Lila and Adrien?" Nino asked, "That's not cool."

"A good reporter always verifies her sources. Can you prove she doesn't actually know Ladybug?" Alya asked.

"With all due respect Alya," Eden said, "Did you verify your sources that she _does_ know Ladybug? Because I saw in my vision that Ladybug told Lila off right in front of Adrien with Marinette watching. That was how she got akumatized into Volpina." Alya looked ashamed as she realized just how stupid she had been, and pulled out her phone to remove the video from the Ladyblog.

Chloe seemed fully convinced, "Okay. While I believe you, you can't exactly show anyone your visions. We need concrete proof."

"Well I—uh—I.. okay you want proof?" Marinette stood up, "Hey Lila, you forgot your napkin." She threw it at Lila, and she caught it with the hand she claimed had a sprained wrist. Though why she used that hand when the hand she claimed wasn't sprained—which was more convenient—was a mystery, or why she didn't get a brace for her wrist.

"Ha ha, see that? It's obvious she doesn't have a sprained wrist."

Everyone stared accusingly at Lila, "Uh, ow. Once when I was in India I witnessed someone getting their eye gouged out but the corner of a napkin. If I hadn't caught it, this napkin could've injured Max. I didn't have a choice. Ow!"

Eden blinked, "That sounds like Beverly Goldberg from _the Goldbergs_. Odd."

The classmates didn't hear them, or didn't care, "Lila, you saved my eye. You sacrificed yourself for me."

"Why wouldn't I Max, you're my friend." Even though they've known each other for maybe a couple hours. Not that it stopped people from shipping Lila and Nathanael, or Eli and Zoe (the ship name was Eloe), but it was still peculiar.

"We'll take you to the nurse's office."

Mylene turned to glare at Marinette, "Aren't you proud of yourself?"

Kim joined in, "Lila's in even more pain now, all because of you."

"No no," Lila insisted, "don't blame Marinette. She was just trying to give me a napkin. Right Marinette."

Adrien suddenly got defensive as Marinette stormed off, Eden subtly following, but not before listening to this,

"How dare you? Don't you see you hurt her? You know what? Lila, I love Marinette, deal with it, and nothing you say will change that. Evelyn's a psychic and called bullshit, and that napkin story is more obscure than the pop-culture references Zoe and I have thrown at you all. You've known Marinette for years, and Lila for a couple hours, yet you turn again her?" He turned around, flipping them all off, "Well fuck all of you, kiss my ass, suck it." He went to follow his girlfriend when Lila stopped him, and Eden decided to scamper off to Marinette.

…

"Adrien? Is this about Zoe? Did I do something to offend you?" She clamped her hand over her mouth as she realized her mistake. Zoe was still a light topic, and her tone suggested the brunette girl was dead.

He froze, slowly turned back to her, twirling a plastic fork in his hand. He glared at her,

"If you say something like that again, we'll find out if a napkin really can gouge out someone's eye." He walked off after his friends, feeling their glares, but he couldn't bring himself to give a fuck.

Zoe would have given Lila a chance. He normally would have given Lila a chance. But Zoe wasn't here and the only thing on his mind was his desire to see Gabriel behind bars, and he felt himself taking it out on everyone else.

And Evelyn…she was really a psychic, or was she like Zoe? No. She couldn't be. He'd have to speak to Master Fu about it later.

…

Eden found Marinette in the bathroom,

"Hey Marinette."

Marinette looked up from the sick, "Hey Evelyn."

Eden pulled out the voice recorder she kept with her, turning up her hearing aids and hearing the sounds of heels coming close with Lila's walk patterns.

"Look, I can bust Lila but you gotta work with me." Marinette gasped and nodded, Eden put a hand on her hip, "Tikki, come on out." Marinette suddenly paled. "What? Psychic, remember."

Tikki emerged and found herself captured in a hug as Eden completed her childhood. She wordlessly dashed into the big stall that shut differently from the others, so it wouldn't be questioned. She stood on the toilet and stood on her tiptoes—which was hard in her bright lilac sneakers, with rainbow socks, but she managed.

She turned on the voice recorder as Lila came in,

"Marinette? Oh, are you crying?"

"No, I'm not."

"I can sense that you don't like me, but I don't understand why. We barely know each other. Don't tell me it's because of this new seating arrangement in class! You know what? It's really not worth it fighting over a boy. You and I could be friends."

"I'm already dating Adrien, Lila. And you and I will only be friends the day you stop lying! I know I can't prove it, but I know for a fact that you don't have Tinnitus, that your wrist is just fine, that you don't actually know Prince Ali because you've never stepped foot in Achu and despite what you got Alya to write on her Ladyblog, Ladybug has never saved your life!"

From her tone, Eden heard Lila's demeanor change as her true nature showed, giving Eden some bad memories, "I only tell people what they want to hear."

"It's called lying."

There's nothing you can do about it anyway. People can't resist when they hear what they like to hear. If you don't want to be my friend, fine. But soon you won't have any friends left at all, and trust I'll make sure you never get close to Adrien in class or anywhere. You seem a little less dumb than the others, so I'll give you one last chance. You're either with me or against me. You don't have to answer right away, I'll give you till the end of class today." Eden leaned on the wall and managed to snap a picture of Lila pinning Marinette to the wall, just before she left.

Eden turned off the voice recorder and walked out,

"Got it all." She replayed it and it was perfect.

Marinette beamed, before looking away, "I thought Chloe was evil, but Lila really just takes the whole cake. She's like a supervillain who doesn't even need a costume. If we don't manage to expose her lies, she'll ruin my life Tikki. She'll turn my friends against me."

"Don't worry. I overheard Adrien tell them all to fuck off." Marinette smiled slightly,

"Is he okay? I know what happened to Zoe's been hard on him, but he doesn't eat, he doesn't sleep…"

"He's in pain." Eden answered, "You're an only child so you might not understand, but that's what siblings do when their other is hurt. When Zoe wakes up, he'll calm down. And having Lila exposed would definitely come in handy." She knew she herself would probably lose sleep over it.

Marinette held out her hand to shake, "Do you wanna come over sometime?"

Eden beamed, because all her dreams—short of seeing her sister—were coming true, "Yes! I'll talk to my guardian." Marinette opened her mouth, so she continued, "I'm from Arizona. Long story short, everyone hates the U.S."

Marinette chuckled, "You sound like Zoe."

"Well, she's not wrong."

…

Adrien grabbed his bag from the locker room when he was intercepted by Lila,

"Hello, Lila."

Lila didn't seem to get the hint that he was already a loyal boyfriend in a good relationship, "Adrien, we'll have to figure when you're gonna help me catch up on all the schoolwork I missed. I also heard you play piano, my uncle's the great pianist Chuch Boroughchuck. He wanted to teach me when I was little, but I had to stop playing because of Arthritis, but when my wrist gets better I'd love for you to give me some lessons."

Adrien glared, "Lila, I'm okay being friendly with you and I'll help you catch with your schoolwork, but please don't lie to me like you did last time with Ladybug. You're already lying here all the time and trust me when I say Zoe wouldn't approve and I'd stop before she calls you out more brutally than Ladybug did."

"Ladybug's the liar." Lila snapped, getting angry, just like Adrien was, about ready to forcefully tell her to shut the fuck up.

"I'm not judging you Lila, but instead of making friends you're going to turn everyone against you, like Marinette and Evelyn. You can tell me if something's bothering you, Zoe and I can help. But you need to be honest with me."

"Are you trying to be some superhero lecturing me just like Ladybug did? Well thanks, but no thanks. And it's not like Zoe's waking up!" She stormed out as Adrien dropped his bag. Her words rang in his ears as he leaned against the locker, crying again, clutching the renounced Dragon Miraculous in his hand—because he didn't want to risk Gabriel taking it from her personal belongings.

"Zoe, I need you…"

Five minutes later

Lila came back in, looking remorseful.

Adrien looked up, "Hey…" He stood up shakily and Lila smiled at him

"Adrien, I wanted to apologize to you for what just happened, for what I said. I've thought about it and you're right. I do want us to be friends, so I'll never tell another lie again. Will you make peace with me?" She tried to kiss Adrien's cheek, but he backed away,

"I'll make peace. But not like that."

Lila looked angered and taken aback, but just laughed, "But I want to kiss you." She tried again, and Adrien stopped her again.

"What part of 'I am in a relationship,' do you not understand." And suddenly she was on top of him, him with his knees on her stomach to keep her away as she tried to kiss him.

Okay, this was…bad… so he did the one thing someone reasonable would do in this situation,

"RAPE!" He shrieked, managing to use his hand to grab the pepper spray in his messenger bag, spraying it in her eyes as she shrieked and rolled off him, clutching her eyes. He looked to the can and mentally thanked Zoe for the gift. "You're too pretty, and pretty people get raped. Keep the pepper spray." Zoe had said, and he found it was quite helpful.

Nino, Alya, Marinette, Chloe and Evelyn all ran in a second later as Marinette hugged him,

"Adrien! Are you okay?" She asked worriedly, "I heard you scream!"

"Yeah. I'm fine M'Lady." He looked down at a squirming, possible akumatized, Lila, "She kept trying to kiss me until she pinned me down, and that does counts as sexual harassment and I have no idea how far she wanted to take that kiss, so I sprayed her with pepper spray. But I don't know where the akuma is."

Evelyn crossed her arms, before brightening and touching Lila's shoulder calmly, then pulled an oyster out of her lunch box that she hadn't yet eaten, and placed it to Lila's lips, which turned her into an identical copy of the oyster.

"Her Villain identity is Chameleon. And I ship it, Chameleon X Clam. Clameleon."

"I think we're going to like having you around, Evelyn." Nino said, "You'll be a nice addition to our group, especially once Zoe wakes up."

…

Eden beamed. They were already seeing her as a friend! It took all her self-control to not squeal in delight.

"I'd love that. Mari, I'd do your thing."

Marinette looked to the confused others, "When she read off Adrien and I to learn more about Lila, she found out." She transformed quietly, and Eden opened up the Clameleon, revealing a black pearl,

She purified it and performed Miraculous Ladybug, and Lila appeared in front of them,

"Ladybug?"

Ladybug smiled, "At least you can say I saved your life for real. Truce?"

Lila looked to her extended hand, and surprisingly, took it, "Thanks Ladybug, I'd be honored to call you my friend."

"Yeah, I'm happy to hear that. Hey, some advice, you don't have to lie and pretend to be something you're not. People will like you just for being yourself."

"You have my word, Ladybug."

They all nodded in approval and ran off, Ladybug detransforming in the bathroom before coming out.

"You are aware Lila was lying through her teeth, right?" Eden said, having noticed the smile turn into a glare before leaving, "Also, is Hawk Moth even trying anymore? That's what, the third oddly powerful akuma to be taken down by an Agreste. But to be fair, that one was defeated by pepper spray, so I get why."

An hour later

Eden had been right on the money, because Lila was once again, lying to everyone—well, the only person Ladybug had saved Lila's life from, was someone stepping on her, or Adrien breaking into Zoe's locker for a knife to defend himself, which were both her own fault as all five superheroes and their 'psychic' friend were convinced she had been akumatized of her own will.

"Of course Ladybug saved my life, she never misses an opportunity to rescue her best friends. Ladybug and I are like two peas in a pod."

Marinette groaned from the stairs, "I should have just left her as a clam."

Adrien shrugged, seeming to finally calm down a little bit and at least pretend to be cheery, "As long as the six, soon to be seven, of us know the truth, does it really matter?"

Eden nodded, "You're right, it's not such a big deal." She then frowned, "But on the other hand, Hawk Moth might be able to use all the anger when she gets found out and create another Heroes' Day fiasco. It's best we call her out before things get too out of hand." She turned to Marinette, "I'll give Miss Bustier the voice recording after school." The other five nodded, having heard about that.

They walked back to the classroom as the bell rang, everyone sat down in their new seats.

"Lila?"

"Here."

"Adrien?

"Present."

"Max?"

"Present."

"Marinette?" Marinette was busy staring off into space, "Marinette?" Nothing, "Marinette?"

Adrien tapped Marinette's shoulder, "Marinette. Miss Bustier's called you're name three times already."

"Looks like you have trouble hearing after all Marinette. Why don't you come sit up here in the front row next to Lila and Evelyn."

Marinette sighed and got up to sit in the front row, only for Lila to stand up,

"Miss Bustier, this incredible. My Tinnitus, I don't feel it anymore. It's gone. it's a miracle. It must be Ladybug's doing, I can sit in the back now." She went to sit in the back, looking smug, and Eden could feel Adrien trying not to spray her with the pepper spray again. But…if Lila claimed she had had Tinnitus for a while, then she would have had it when she got akumatized into Volpina, and as such it would have been cured back then. Not to mention Jagged has been living in Chloe's Dad's hotel since Pixelator, back in Season 1 and it was the premiere of Season 3 now, and Fang had been there, so there was literally no way.

Eden stood up, about to bring this up, but decided to just give the teacher the recording later, "Miss Bustier, if Lila is going to sit in the back like originally planned, why don't we all go to our original seats?"

Miss Bustier smiled, "Good plan." Everyone started going back to their original seats with Lila ending up next to Nathanael, and Chloe waved her hand in Eden's direction,

"You can sit with Sabrina and I, Evie. That way you can still hear in the front row." Eden beamed and sat between the two girls, appreciating how successful her sister had been in whipping Chloe into a good person—or at least less of a witch.

OoOoO

The day ended, and Eden was about to go to the flower shop when Lila got all up in Marinette's business. She turned up her hearing aids and focused on them, so she could listen in,

"I see you've made your decision Marinette. From now on, you and I are at war. You will lose your friends and wind up all alone, and Adrien will soon be mine."

Marinette just shrugged, "We'll see about that Lila, we'll see." Lila stormed off, walking all snobby-like, and Marinette nodded to Eden, who walked back into the school to see Miss Bustier still at her desk,

"Um…Miss…"

"Yes Evelyn?"

Eden walked closer, "I wanted to talk to you about Lila."

That caused Miss Bustier to look up, "Is there a problem?"

"Yes. I got a reading off of her that she was bad news, so I followed Marinette into the bathroom, and she got Lila to confess to lying about everything while threatening her." She played the recording to prove her point.

Miss Bustier took the voice recorder, looking horrified and shocked, "I…I appreciate you coming to me with this so early on before it got out of hand. May I borrow this, it will be important in handling the situation."

Eden nodded, twirling her pigtail, "Of course. I have many."

Miss Bustier started to walk out, before turning,

"Just so we're clear, you will not use your gift with exams."

"I promise." Eden vowed, "But I'll warn you, I was a senior in high school back at home, so all of this is easy for me. I am not cheating, that's not how my gift works, I just get reading off of people and their experiences."

Was Miss Bustier stupid to not question a girl with 'supernatural powers'? Probably. But it was convenient, as she just nodded and walked in the direction to the principal's office.

Eden left the school and walked to the flower shop. That had been her favorite voice recorder, and her only one here. She always had them, and while it was originally to pretend to be a spy like her TV shows, now it was in hopes of proving Joselyn was a horrible child, and she had just happened to have it on her person when brought here.

She picked out some white roses in a sky-blue vase and used her little money to purchase them, walking to the hospital.

"Excuse me? I'm here to visit Zoe Carpenter?"

The receptionist clicked a few buttons, "Zoe Carpenter-Agreste? She's in room 329."

Eden walked to the room and found her sister's room was full of gifts and cards and random stuff Eden knew for a fact her sister would either hate or eat. She set her flowers down on a table and sat in an ugly plush armchair, gazing at her comatose sister.

She wasn't death grey anymore from what Adrien had described, but she was still paler than she had been when Eden had seen her last, which was only a couple months from Zoe's point of view. She sighed,

"Hey Showy. I know…you probably can't hear me, or won't recognize me, but it's me, Eden. I found you." She looked on the nightstand and noticed, to her shock, that the rock she had made as a gift when she was little was sitting there. She had thought she had lost it months ago. She looked back to Zoe, "But I refuse to have literally traveled universes, just for you to be dead. You need to show them that you will not be taken down that easily. But even if you don't want me around anymore…" Hawk Moth's words still stung, even though she suspected they were a lie, "I just want you to know I still love you, to whatever's end."

She sat there with her sister until visiting hours ended, just talking and explaining all the good things that had happened since she was gone and omitting the bad, and telling her about her day and busting Lila. At one point, she played Justin Bieber music, because Zoe had joked that if she ended up in a coma, she would wake up just to turn that music off. Sadly, that didn't work before Eden herself got sick of it.

When the nice doctor ushered her out, Eden took one last look,

"See you soon."

 **A/N: Yup. So the next chapter will be completely Eden-centric and her bonding with the Miraculous wielders and living with Master Fu. I have no idea when the next episode of Miraculous will be out, but it will be after the second akuma that you all find out if Zoe lives or dies.**

 **And also, it wasn't clarified, but all the heroes decided "Fuck it, Zoe will just spill soon." and they all know who the others are. Chloe had figured out Ladybug when Adrien and Marinette started dating and just accepted it, but no longer completely idolizes Ladybug, just seeing her as a friend.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Driver3196, yes, I give you permission to use Zoe in your own story as long as you acknowledge the character belongs to me. And I would like to know what the story is, so I can read it myself.**

 **Anyway, I just discovered a ton of spoilers from Comic-con, and I was right! The Dragon Miraculous weapon is a sword! Or…it looks like it.**

 **Chapter 5: The tiger's awakening, part 1: We're still in set-up land**

The weekend went about uneventfully for the most part, because while Eden had had her phone with her when she came, she had forgotten to get the numbers of her new friends or give them hers. She had Zoe's number still, and that had been a wonderful joy, because she had discovered constant texts that she only got when she came to this world. Updates on how she was doing and what she had done, and how she had a suspicion these weren't getting through, but she continued to do it in hopes on her one day receiving them. And receive them she had.

It had definitely helped her self-confidence to know her sister had still been trying to reach her and went through the effort even when she suspected it was pointless.

Right now, she was browsing her school computer—because Master Fu used the iPad constantly, and there was apparently no firewall on this thing as she could access even YouTube—looking for apartments.

"What are you doing?" Wayzz asked as he and his owner came into the small back room after the shop closed for the night,

"I'm browsing for cheap apartments." Eden replied simply, "I got next week's homework done because I asked all my teachers for it and got it all done in an hour. But Hawk Moth sensed the kwamis on the right bank of the Seine during _Sandboy_ , so I am looking for lodging on the left bank."

"Clever. But unfortunately, I do not make enough money to move right now."

"Then…" She thought about it, "What if I tell Zoe who I am and our financial crisis when she wakes up! Of course she would—"

"Absolutely not!" Master Fu snapped, "As I have told you countless times now, you mustn't tell her who you are!"

"Why not?! Hawk Moth already knows about both Zoe and myself, so what danger would it cause?"

"Because Zoe is in enough danger as it is, if she knows you are here, and not safe and sound back on your home world, she will worry too much about you instead of herself, and that could be her downfall."

Eden huffed, crossing her arms as she began to pace, "So, I can't tell her." She was sad to say his logic, while inconvenient, made sense. She looked around and saw an old yet functional guitar. That would work.

She picked it up and walked to the Eiffel Tower, tuning the guitar as she went. Her grandpa had taught her to play a guitar, and she had figured out how to sing songs with it in her spare time—a full half hour on Saturdays, she didn't know what to do with all this free time!

She took a breath, she started to play, because this was a television show, so it didn't hurt to try,

" _I live a life that's full of fun,_

 _That keeps me sharp and on the run._

 _When evil comes, I find a way_

 _To use my force and save the day."_ People started gathering a bit and Eden smiled, thanking Zoe for paying to give her singing lessons. Zoe had been amazing naturally, Eden had needed years of practice for her different vocal range,

" _Uh-uh-oh_

 _Life's got me spinning 'round._

 _Uh-uh-oh_

 _My feet are off the ground._

 _Uh-uh-oh_

 _And when the sun goes down,_

 _That's when I become…"_ She started tapping her foot,

" _It's Ladybug! Jumping above!_

 _The power is on when things go wrong!_

 _It's Ladybug, the lucky charm!_

 _The magic is on, always so strong!"_ People started putting money into the guitar case, a lot faster than Eden had thought, and she saw Mylene and Ivan in the growing crowd, cheering her on. She made a note to get a microphone, because her voice could only take her so far,

" _Miraculous! Simply the best!_

 _Up to the test when things go wrong!_

 _Miraculous! The luckiest!_

 _The power of love, always so strong!_

 _Miraculous!"_ She finished the last note and the crowd cheered. She grinned and continued singing various songs she could think of and, after a good half hour, collected the money, "I'll be back soon!" She would normally go longer, but right now she needed a microphone.

She took the money, roughly 700 euros—because thank you being in a television show with the power of main character syndrome—and got the cheapest microphone she could from the store, roughly 30. That left 670ish. Good start for the first day, but she also realized using the show's theme song may have come to her advantage.

She walked home and put the money on the table,

"And that's from a half hour."

Master Fu stared at the money in shock, "Please tell me you aren't using your knowledge to your advantage."

"What? I just sang for a bit, knowing main character syndrome would help me out. It helped Marinette be the only good contestant in the derby hat competition and everything to always go her way, so why can't I do it for some cash? Zoe outright made a bet about the events of the Heroes' Day and got 15,000 out of it! Why not give her crap?"

"It's Zoe we're talking about. Do you really think I would win?"

The answer was no. That was obvious. Zoe was only 5'2 and easily taller than the ancient master, not to mention she had no trouble with her back or combat.

Eden rolled her eyes, "Well I just got you money, and a microphone for myself. If I don't use the theme song anymore, or get a real job, will you let me do me?"

"Sure. You could always do this, and I think the Dupain-Cheng bakery might be hiring." He smiled, pouring some tea, "But for right now, we should eat dinner, assuming you want to visit your sister in the hospital for a little while."

They ate some ramen in silence, before Eden went out. It was dark, the dim illumination coming from the street lights.

She walked into the hospital room and placed down another sea shell next to Zoe's nightstand. It was a _Kingdom Hearts_ reference, _358/2 Days_ to be specific. So, every day, she would leave a seashell with her sister.

Adrien was there this time.

"Hey Evelyn." He said quietly, "What are you doing here?"

Eden looked over to him, "Oh. I could tell how much she means to you, and I wanted to see for myself."

"And why are you placing seashells? I understand the significance it would mean to her, but how do you know? And you two haven't even met."

Eden thought about it. Should she tell him? Then she thought about what Master Fu had said,

"Psychic. Remember. Sometimes I develop an emotional attachment, sorry." She sat down beside him,

Adrien shrugged, "It's fine." He placed his hand on Zoe's, "You're like her in a way. Mellower, that much is obvious, as you got evidence against Lila calmly and subtly, while Zoe just started shrieking at Chloe. Whipped her into shape just fine."

Eden smiled, "Something tells me Lila getting busted will only make her hate both Marinette and I. And maybe you."

"Then why did you call her out?" He asked, "If you know it might not be safe."

She shrugged, "I've found perennial liars can be extremely damaging to social environments and should not be allowed to let their lies go unchecked. I'm speaking from personal experience of having such a liar around. You can already see how Lila has everyone else in class, including Miss Bustier until I gave her the voice recording, duped and wrapped around her finger. This can only lead to disaster. Even if the recording doesn't work, the matter of Lila supposedly speaking to the class from Achu right before the attack of the Heroes' Day, while within an hour Volpina—as stated publicly by Ladybug—is creating an illusion in Paris, and probably with further statements by Lila to the effect that she was still in Achu later, would make a good case."

Adrien stared at her for a moment, "You've thought quite a bit about that, haven't you."

"Yeah." He continued to stare at her, "What?"

"Nothing. It's just…you look familiar, like I've seen you somewhere."

Eden tried to hide her smile at the idea he was remembering the evil version of her during the Sandboy fiasco, "We haven't met, if that's what you're asking, but maybe I just have one of those faces."

"That's the thing, you don't. Especially your eyes, I've only seen one other person with eyes like that."

Holy shit, was this the moment? Did he figure it out?

Her hope was dashed when he shrugged, "Guess it's just a coincidence. Because there's no way you could be…" he frowned, "Sorry to bother you with that…"

Eden touched his hand, "Eden Imelda Carpenter, that's who you're referring to. Am I right?"

Adrien looked up in shock, "Yeah, but there's no way you could be her, because she's only eleven and you're our age."

There is this thing, called aging. Oh well. "You are correct."

They chatted for a bit, until a nurse came and told them visiting hours were over. It turned out Dr. Winston was avoiding them, so he wouldn't need to give any status updates for fear of Zoe taking a turn for the worst. But from what Eden had overheard, Zoe's brain was a little more aware, and she responded to stimuli, so she would hopefully wake up soon. All good things.

Eden waved goodbye to Adrien and walked home.

"How's Zoe?" Wayzz asked quietly, pointing to Master Fu, who was asleep.

"She's not awake, but she's improving." Eden grinned, "And Adrien thinks of me as familiar, don't worry, I dismissed my true identity."

Wayzz nodded in approval, "I know that must have been hard for you. Once Hawk Moth is defeated, you and she can truly reunite. Just be patient."

Eden just changed into her rainbow pajamas and laid down, staring at the ceiling, her regrets for not telling him then and there eating away at her.

Well, if Adrien recognized her from one meeting, then maybe Zoe would recognize her after eleven years of time together.

OoOoO

School started normally, and everyone went to their seats. But when Lila came to the class, grudgingly sitting in the back, Miss Bustier spoke up,

"Lila, will you join me outside? Everyone else, just…amuse yourselves." She sounded upset, and Lila looked confused if not a little worried, but she did follow the teacher.

Everyone else glanced to each other,

"Do you think Lila's leaving again on a trip?" Alix asked. Eden pulled out her phone,

"No. I think it has something to do with the fact she's a dirty liar and I gave evidence of it on Friday." Everyone gasped,

"Want proof?" She turned her phone on, activating the voice recording—because it was reasonable to keep a copy of the recording in the event it went the way of the Dodo. And now everyone was glaring and apologizing to the Miraculous five, because number six was comatose and otherwise unavailable, completely unaware of the current situation.

They suddenly heard tons of shouting through the air vents, and the knew it was from the principal's office. Jeez, Lila's parents were not quiet…

They all sat in awkward silence as the shouting commenced, until Adrien turned,

"Evelyn…I would suggest hiding out for a bit today. Something tells me Lila's gonna be akumatized."

The sound of a laud thud could be heard, "You don't say…"

 **A/N: Short chapter, I know. Next chapter is part 2, and will be out soon. I'm having Lila get akumatized again because a) I have a feeling that will be happening a lot in the series, b) Chameleon was way too easily defeated in this story, c) there is a good chance the next episode is one that will have events in this series contradict all possibility, and I just don't want to do Gigantiton again unless 100% necessary, and d) it feels fitting for Eden's first akuma to be against the person she hates most.**

 **And yes, Eden sang the theme song, or parts of it. Her logic was for Adrien to see right through, having obviously heard said theme song from Zoe before.**

 **We'll also learn the fate of Zoe, so now's your last chance to review to save her!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: You have reached the moment of tigers and confirmations!**

 **Chapter 5: The tiger's awakening, part 2: A water jug, a tiger, and a fight**

It turned out dealing with the Lila situation took all day and involved all teachers, because the class did absolutely nothing the entire day. So, they were on the way to the hospital. Today was the one-week mark of Zoe's coma, and they were all worried about her and decided to visit.

They all started exchanging stories.

"Guys," Marinette said with a laugh, "Remember my nightmare when Sandboy attacked? The demon Adrien. How do you think she would have reacted if she had seen that?"

Adrien put a finger under his chin, "Well…"

 _Cat Noir and Fireheart were battling the nightmare Ladybug and Eden, back to back._

" _I love CHLOEEEE." The demon Adrien crawled into view, and Fireheart jumped back upon seeing it,_

" _Ack! What kind of demon abomination is that!?" Ladybug shrugged, and Fireheart pulled out a big ass flamethrower, "Back yee foul beast!" She lit the monster up, and it exploded._

He just shrugged, "Light it up with a flamethrower screaming blood and thunder?"

"That sounds about right." Max said, "Remember when the red butterflies came, and she forced you to spin her to take them out."

"Suck it up pretty boy," Kim laughed, "Only Zoe can deadpan that and bend someone to her will at the same time."

Adrien threw his hands up, "Hey! Small women are vicious. Kim, you deal with Alix!" Nobody could deny that, and Alix gave him the finger.

"Akuma alert, please get to safety calmly, the Miraculous team will deal with this shortly."

Everyone groaned, none even the slightest bit surprised as Adrien made a bet it was Volpina instead of Chameleon because…pepper spray…

In the chaos of people, Adrien and Marinette managed to transform in an alleyway and went off to fight, Eden hot on their heels—because she stole Alix's roller blades, much to the pink-haired girl's anger. It was, sure enough, Volpina. Only it seemed like a Nightmare-Volpina, because something about her was just creepier. Her eyes met Eden's and she landed, walking up to her as the butterfly symbol appeared over her eyes.

"Evelyn…or should I say…Eden." Eden tensed, wondering if Ladybug and Cat Noir heard. They didn't seem to. Volpina gripped the collar of her shirt, "You'll pay for what you did." She suddenly vanished.

Ladybug and Cat Noir ran over, "Evelyn, I'd get out of here."

"Yeah." She skated home, fear gripping her heart. The best way to deceive someone was to tell the truth, but Lila was a liar through and through, so she couldn't know. Not that she'd take any chances. If not for her, than for Zoe.

Master Fu was out grocery shopping, as the note said, and that was perfect.

She opened the gramophone and took the Miracle Box, looking at all the Zodiac Miraculous.

She grazed her hand over some, before it stopped on the Tiger Miraculous. She thought about it.

The Chinese horoscope for Tiger symbolized power, passion, and a daring personality. They were the type of people others either instantly like or hate. There wasn't a lot of indecisiveness surrounding Tigers. They weren't afraid to try something new and weren't going to keep doing things the same way just because that's how they've been done. Spending time around this personality commanded awe and respect. Even people who found their bursting personality to be a bit overwhelming couldn't help but respect them and appreciate they had much to offer the world. There is nothing they love more than being the center of attention. Due to their outgoing and vivacious natures, they often described people who were the inspiration of others. People see these adventurous souls who jumped head first into exciting opportunities and are tempted to do the same. It also often depicted a person who was quite interesting in fashion and looking good—after all, all eyes will be on them. They were articulate and have a way with words that furthers the respect of the spotlight. Because these people were so adventurous and willing to try new things, they can often go through extraordinarily tough times. Of course, they often lead to success—but they don't always. Tigers were restless and reckless, and often thought only of the possible positive outcomes and not the negative ones. They trusted deeply in their own luck and charisma to get to the top.

Well, that didn't 100% add up, but what she was currently doing was reckless, and she was fully ready to do this, and that piece of jewelry was really cool. She took the Miraculous and slipped it on. The Tiger Miraculous was dark purple, and it had a center spherical object with a light yellow-green tiger paw print on it. A panjas bracelet. She gave a mental thanks to her history tutor who may have gotten into the magical mushrooms and always ranted about spirit animals.

As soon as it rested on her skin, a kwami appear.

"Hello!" It said in a feminine voice, "I'm Roaar."

Roaar was dark magenta, the bottom of her face and belly being a lighter shade, with light orange eyes and two pointed white teeth. She also had round black tiger-like ears, three vertical black stripes on the top of her head, and a whisker on each cheek. Lastly, she has a long tail with a round black tip and two black stripes below the tip.

Eden grinned, "Can I call you Roari? And what's the transformation cue?"

Roaar shrugged, "I don't see why not. And its Roari, stripes on!"

"Roari, stripes on!" She transformed and looked down at herself.

She was wearing a magenta skin-tight catsuit with darker magenta accents at the knees, forearms, waist and neck, with three triangular stripes along her mask. Her hair was in a braided bun along the back of her head. She also had tiny magenta tiger ears that were mostly concealed by her hair but were there.

She put the Miracle Box back and leapt out the window and back to the superhero duo, only for her worst nightmare to be realized…

Volpina was atop the Eiffel Tower, only not the top, just the middle part, because in her arms was a still very much comatose Zoe. She was dangling her,

"Give me your Miraculous and give me Eden, or I will!"

Cat Noir scoffed, but there was noticeable fear in his tone, but he and his comrades noticed Zoe was holding a water jug for some reason, and that was too obscure to be an illusion. She also wasn't wearing a hospital gown, in favor of Cat Noir pajamas. "Eden isn't here! She's been dead for months! If you mean Evelyn, then we still won't hand her over!"

Volpina laughed, "Three, two—" she never got to finish her threat, because suddenly Zoe came to life and whacked her over the head with the water jug.

 **Zoe's POV**

Zoe woke up alone. She blinked a couple times and sat up, only for pain to erupt from her side. She hissed and slowed her roll a bit, only to find herself in a hospital room full of stuff she either hated ar wanted to eat. But first came first, she felt like she had swallowed sandpaper.

Fortunately, she saw a large metal water bottle she identified as Adrien, and took a long drink from it, washing back the glass shards in her throat.

Okay, that was resolved. Next was to get the hell out of this hospital gown that was both uncomfortable and made her feel exposed and naked.

She got out of bed and almost fell over as her legs felt like jello. She leaned against the nightstand to stabilize herself and saw some Cat Noir themed pajamas—black top and pants with green paw prints.

She sucked in a breath as she ripped out the IV and changed calmly. There was no way she was going to stay in this hospital unarmed when Gabriel could strike at any moment. She noticed the many stitches in her side, but decided to ignore it and just be careful.

She finished changing, then realized she was feeling tired and lightheaded. Well, she knew she had lost a good amount of blood so that made sense. Deciding to take a minute to chill, she crawled back in bed and flopped over unceremoniously. But she couldn't sleep, because the stiches were starting to itch.

Then she heard someone burst through the window and took a moment to hold the water jug, before pretending to be asleep. She squinted a little and was irritated by the fact she had to think about her breathing, and it would take forever to put it in the back of her subconscious.

It was Volpina. Bollocks. She was kidnapping her. Double bollocks. And now they were on the Eiffel Tower with a threat of dropping. Triple bollocks.

At last, she decided she was too irritated to care and lopped the villain over the head with the jug, only for Volpina to stumble backwards, and drop her.

"FUCK!"

 **Back to Eden's POV**

"FUCK!"

She jumped, defying gravity as she grabbed her sister before she hit the ground. She was relived to find Zoe actually had weight to her, unlike how deadly light she had been back at home. That did not mean by any standard her body type was different, because that form was eternal. The water jug hit the concrete with enough force to dent it.

Zoe looked at her for a minute, before hissing in pain, so she set her down,

"Who the fuck are you?"

"I-I—uh…I'm Tigris!'

Zoe frowned as Tigris drank in her features, now leaning on Cat Noir for support, who was practically crying, "Like _Kung Fu Panda_?"

Tigris huffed, "Yes. I didn't have a whole lot of time to decide!"

Cat Noir pressed Zoe against him, picking her up, but she was still too weak to argue even though it was clear she wanted to. "Hey, let's get you back to the hospital. You've had enough life or death experiences for one week." He ran off with her, leaving Tigris and Ladybug.

Tigris reached for her weapon, only to panic as she realized it wasn't there and she had heard a thud while running. She had totally dropped her weapon somewhere. Great. Golden!

Well, she had claws and holy jumping power. That would do.

Ladybug stared at her, "Evelyn?"

"Yeah. Fu is…well…my guardian. Long story I do not want to get into right now, because Volpina just dragged a, snarky I'll admit, formerly-comatose civilian into this! But he doesn't know I'm using the Miraculous because he was out getting groceries, and he doesn't want me using one, but anyone, let's go!"

Volpina was just then recovering from getting a heavy metal object to the head and played her flute. Illusions of many of her came to life, but Tigris could feel the mother-anger—or sister-anger in this case—flow through her veins and into her fists.

It was in this moment that Eden realized she didn't have her hearing aids on in costume, but she could hear just fine if not better. She assumed it was like how Gabriel and Alya lost their glasses, though it was debatable if Nino did, because their vision was fixed.

All the Volpinas were the same, and it seemed Hawk Moth had given her an update, because these illusions didn't dissolve upon contact, so she and Ladybug were fighting like twenty Volpinas.

Then it hit her. They were all completely silent, no noise.

 _A three-year-old Eden was sitting at the table, being helped with a puzzle with a newly seven-year-old Zoe. Their Dad snuck up on her and blindfolded her,_

" _Dad!" Zoe giggled, "What is this?"_

" _Guess."_

" _Is this a game?"_

 _Dad laughed, "Not quite."_

" _Am I being executed?" It was amusing how she deadpan asked that, only a hint of worry in her tone. He laughed again,_

" _No dude, we're practicing a new survival technique. I want you to figure out what I'm doing, and where I am, using only your hearing." He proceeded to walk around the room and do some dad-disco moves—all kids with parents who grew up in the eighties will know what she was referring to._

 _Zoe frowned, deep in thought, before pointing about a foot to the left of their father, "Are you doing something embarrassing?"_

 _He stopped dancing, "Depends on what you mean by embarrassing. And I'm over here."_

 _Zoe lifted the blindfold, her bright blue eyes meeting his identically blue orbs, "There you are, daddy!" She ran and gave him a hug, followed quickly by Eden. He picked them up and spun them,_

" _My girls…I love you both."_

Hearing. He hadn't been able to do it with Eden after she lost her hearing, but the lesson stuck with her.

She closed her eyes, listening, and was unable to pinpoint anything, due to not being used to hearing. Well, main character syndrome didn't do all the work. Time to just claw at them, or kick them, either one worked.

"Ladybug! I suggest using that Lucky Charm of yours!"

"Lucky Charm!" A bomb appeared. "What?!"

Tigris snatched it, "I know what to do!" She had been noticing they were all invulnerable, so only the real one would fear the bomb. She ran towards the center, jumping over some and kicking down other, clawing at two as she put the logic to the side—no matter how much it pained her, as her conscience was screaming at how bad an idea that was—slammed the bomb into the ground and activated it.

"Tigris! Run!"

She ran, but she didn't get very far, because she was launched foreword by the blast, only to be saved by Ladybug.

"Easy there tiger," she said, "for someone who relies heavily on logic, that was one of the dumbest things I've ever seen. You could have killed yourself!"

Tigris shrugged, trying to hide her burning shame at being criticized, "Well it worked, didn't it?" She gestured to where there was a crater, but also only one Volpina. She leapt back in before she could be challenged, and pinned the fox-villain to the ground.

Volpina just scoffed, but it was weak, and fear was evident, "You think I don't know who you are, Eden Imelda? And now we can easily find the guardian and the Miraculous will belong to Hawk Moth!"

Tigris' expression darkened as she realized her serious error she had been too caught up in the moment to think about. No wonder she had a headache. Zoe was supposed to be the one doing the fighting while she worked behind the scenes, so this didn't happen! And why did people always use her second name? Her real name was Eden Imelda, but she usually dismissed Imelda as a middle name, so it was strange to hear people using her real name, which meant Innocent Warrior, even though she was no longer innocent and never a warrior. Zoe was lucky, because Invi was simply her middle name.

"Shut it Volpi. Not like anyone will believe you." She searched her over and found the akuma in her earring. "Ladybug! Akuma is flying away!"

She purified the akuma, did her Miraculous Ladybug, and Volpina went back to Lila, but they didn't talk this time, and both heroes just left, "Pound it!"

Tigris ran back to the massage shop and detransformed, only to see a very disapproving Master Fu waiting for her. He tapped his foot expectantly,

"What were you thinking?! Now Hawk Moth knows you are staying with the Guardian of the Miraculous, and there is a good chance he knows your true identity and will use it against Zoe now that she's awake!"

Eden shrunk down, her hair once again down and now falling in her face, "I'm sorry Master, I was just panicked and wanted to help."

"And you disregarded my instructions to never use a Miraculous! What's next?! Does Zoe know who you are!?"

"No!" Eden felt tears threatening to burst free, "It was dumb! I know! I should have known better! But it's too late now, and maybe I can fix it."

Master Fu sighed, and showed her a bag, "I'm afraid, you can no longer stay here. For all our sakes."

She took shaky breaths, taking the bag, no longer preventing the tears from falling, "W-Where will I go?"

He looked up at her sadly, "I am sorry, I wish it didn't have to be this way."

She gestured to the Miraculous on her wrist and hand, "Do you want this back?"

"It's too late now, you keep it. Take it as a symbol of my good will." Eden took small steps to the door and stopped at his voice in the doorway, "Eden, I really am sorry." She didn't have the will to say anything, and once she was out in the street, started to sob. She had really fucked up and now she had nowhere to go. It had only been a week!

"What do I do Roari?"

Roari wiped away her tears, "Don't worry. Maybe you just weren't meant to stay there, and all you need is patience."

She scoffed as she walked into an alleyway to set up camp as the sun set, hiding in a cardboard box, "Patience is not a virtue I possess, obviously."

Roari sat in her cupped hands as she shivered, "So? I'm not patient either. But we'll get through this, together."

Eden gave a cracked smile, "Thanks Roari." Then of course, it started pouring. Lovely.

Owner and kwami snuggled together for warmth, but it was a lost cause and they were both freezing, and Eden began to cry again.

"Hello? Are you alright?"

Eden weighed her options. The person sounded worried, and it wasn't like things could get much worse. She crawled out of the box and saw Sabine Cheng, Marinette's mother, with an umbrella, staring at her, "Evelyn?"

"M-Mrs. Cheng?" She got up, "What are you doing here?"

"I was making some deliveries when I saw you, are you okay? Why are you out in the cold?"

"I-I—" she stammered, "I made a mistake, a really big one, and I got kicked out."

Sabine wrapped her in a hug, "It's okay darling, it can't possibly have been that bad." She smiled, "Here, how about you come stay with my family? We have plenty of room, and we already and our future son-in-law and soon his sister living with us, might as well just add on."

"Really?"

Sabine nodded, guiding her along, "Come along, you're freezing, I'd hate for you to catch a cold."

Eden looked behind her, gesturing for Roari to follow, and saw Master Fu with an umbrella, smiling at her.

Sabine saw the kwami, "Are you Tigris?" she chuckled, "Why am I not surprised? I'm just raising superheroes, that's how life is."

"So you know?"

"Of course! Marinette isn't quiet when arguing with hers, and neither is Adrien, and it was pretty easy to find out Zoe is Fireheart after learning that."

They got to the bakery and Sabine explained the situation to Tom, who showed her to the second guest room, the first being where Zoe would stay because Adrien slept with Marinette.

Tom gave her a bathrobe and some hot chocolate after she changed into some pajamas, "Here. I'm sorry to hear about what happened, but we won't kick you out. You can stay as long as you want. Adrien is staying with Zoe tonight, spending some time with her, so it will just be Marinette and us. Marinette either asleep, at the hospital, or on patrol." He checked his phone, "Oh, patrol then hospital. So it's just you and us." He felt her forehead, "You're a bit warm, I'd get some rest if I were you."

"Thank you." She finished her cocoa and stumbled into bed. Roari sat next to her face,

"See, everything will work out."

"Yeah. You're right." With that, she fell into a dreamless sleep.

OoOoO

"Wait a minute," Zoe mused aloud, "So everything got spun on its heel since I was gone?" Yeah, when Cat Noir brought her back, Dr. Winston just about had a panic attack and looked her over. It was nothing short of a miracle her stiches didn't break, but she still needed a few days to make sure she was actually fine. Zoe for her part was noting her situation was more like a soap-opera coma than an actual one, so now that she was awake, she felt completely fine, if not irritating and a little light-headed.

"Pretty much. I told the entire class to suck it."

"So hell froze over?!"

"Hey!" Adrien snapped playfully, "You have nobody to blame but yourself for being a bad influence on me. Besides, everyone thinks I have BPD (Brief Psychotic Disorder) so nobody's gonna mess with me."

Zoe rolled her eyes, "While that may be true, I am impressed. And what's better, me getting brutally almost murdered got us out of Gabe's mansion for at least three weeks more. And in a bakery no less! Fucking jackpot!"

Adrien ruffled her hair, "I missed you Satan. Who else would spew pop-culture references like a motherfucker, and make me laugh when I'm down and be my family?" His mood darkened with each example.

Zoe put a hand on his, while taking a big old bite out of a chocolate bar—because the nurses couldn't stop her, she had been comatose due to blood loss, not diabetes— "Oh kitty, you won't get rid of me that easily. I'm like a splinter: once I'm here it's like hell to get me to go away. Now, give me those red vines, so I may eat them."

He gave a hearty laugh and it seemed all was right in the world, if only for a moment.

OoOoO

Eden went to school with Marinette, who hugged her upon learning what had happened.

They sat down in their normal places, and they also noticed Lila was sitting in the back where she had tried banishing Marinette.

Miss Bustier stood in front of the class, "Class, I have great news! As you have probably noticed, Adrien is not joining us today, because Zoe woke up yesterday and they're spending some time together."

Everyone cheered. Rose raised a hand, "Is she up for visitors? I would be nice to see her."

"We're all been worried about her." Juleka added. Marinette raised her phone,

"I'll text Adrien." She waited a minute, "He says she finally fell asleep after almost tearing out her stitches by scratching at them. Sugar crash, and he said screw you all for providing her with sweets she can reach, because she's like a damn toddler. But once she wakes up she'll be up for it if she's not binge playing _Kingdom Hearts 3_."

Everyone laughed, knowing full well it was a terrible idea to interrupt Zoe when she was playing video games, having had Ivan get concussed by a chucked controller while playing Ultimate Mecha Strike III in the library. Eden remembered all those times she'd go a solid twenty-four hours without food and just play—the day after the semester ended so their mother couldn't give her shit—and screech at nobody in particular if self-care was brought up.

They started class and Eden fidgeted with her Miraculous, not paying close attention. Unlike Zoe, she did not have ADHD, contrary to what her parents believed for years, but she just subconsciously chose to be distracted, generally because she could be a real perfectionist.

Lunch break came, and Eden found herself cornered by Lila,

"So, Eden Imelda, you continue to deceive everyone. I'd think being a superhero and you'd tell your true identity."

Eden glared, "You remember."

"Correct. And while you may have knocked me down, I still have some people who see you as the liar, and I will climb back up, and everyone will know who you truly are, and they will desert you."

"Sure Lila, we'll see about that." She smirked and walked to her new home. So, Lila knew. Not like anyone would believe her, or get the context behind it, as to her knowledge, Zoe had never directly said her name, only referring to her as "little sister".

Marinette followed her, "Hey Evelyn, are you on your way to the hospital?"

She shook her head, reluctantly, making sure to double and triple check her logic, "No. Adrien and Zoe deserve some alone time, as they've only got each other as family. I'm headed to the bakery for lunch."

Alya joined them, followed by Chloe and Nino, "Okay. We're going to my place if you want to join us."

Eden grinned, "I'd love that."

 **A/N: Yup. Zoe lives! And I won't be pulling any shit where she takes a sudden and unexpected turn for the worst, she's safe. For now, at least, because Gabriel still wants her dead, but any other attempts on her life will not be as violent, and their relationship will be almost humorous at times.**

 **And Lila knows who Eden really is, and Eden doesn't give two shits because the odds of someone understanding the context and/or believing her are very slim. And the reason she refers to her as Eden Imelda instead of just Eden is the same as Chloe referring to Marinette as Marinette Dupain-Cheng, because why the hell not.**

 **Also, I love the idea of Tom and Sabine just taking in the Carpenter (Adrien counts because he no longer considers himself Agreste, meaning his close friends refer to him as Adrien Carpenter) kids, just like "Adrien's already our future son-in-law and Zoe's his sister, and why the hell not help the girl who stopped a bullying issue for out daughter before it began."**

 **SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER**

 **Okay, so this is all the spoilers we got from Jeremy Zag and my commentary to each of them and how they will affect the Fireheart series, which they will. If you don't want to know or don't care, there is nothing else for you to see here, the chapter is over for you and you can reach it by going back up to the top. You have been warned, because Zag revealed a lot of new shit. I will not be discussing the tweets Thomas Astruc sent, because I sincerely hope and am almost positive he was being sarcastic, being the "no spoiler man" and all.**

 **My reactions are all completely my opinion, so nobody get pissed if I say something you do not agree with.**

 **Anyway, GO!**

 **The live-action Miraculous film is no longer in production.**

 **Personally, call me a stick in the mud, I'm grateful the live-action movie isn't happening.** _ **Miraculous**_ **works better in an animated universe, and, I can't see how it would transfer over well into the real world with real people acting.**

 **There will be an animated movie, where we'll learn things like if Gabriel was always so strict before Emilie's "disappearance." The movie acts as an origin of the universe and the ending to Season 5. However, finishing Season 4 and Season 5 are first priority over the film.**

 **Okay, so that basically confirms we will not learn that during Season 3, and as such not in** _ **Fireheart and the Tiger**_ **, but it is possible we'll get hints of this in Season 4, aka the threequel** _ **Two Worlds, One Family**_ **. I do like the idea of this, and it sounds cool, but if it's an origin prequel kind of thing, I'd rather it before the potential final season. Though if it answers questions like that, all is forgiven.**

 **I'm not keen on it being a musical, both because of the previous attempt with** _ **The Christmas Special**_ **(that I almost redid with Fireheart to improve it a bit, no offense to those who loved that one) and** _ **Miraculous**_ **not being meant to be a musical—the only reason I had Eden be a singer is as a paid-hobby to get cash, not spontaneous singing all the time, and other times are fitting of a specific character at certain times. However, it's animated, and sounds like it'll be jam-packed, so I'm content.**

 **No one in the series is necessarily evil, and we'll learn more about Chloe and Lila.**

 **Chloe, I get, but LILA!? I am interested to hear that, because he's right, there is not a single person who is 100% evil (except maybe Hitler, but he did technically help Germany with the no money, no military and no territory issue, so that proves the point) but they better do some really good explaining for that. Honestly, it was easier to explain Gabriel than it would be Lila at this point. But I do want to learn more about these two.**

 **We will see Marinette and Adrien age up.**

 **That's something I'm excited for. I'm guessing they would only age to somewhere between 18-21, and that might create more sexual commentary and relations, but the ratings of my stories are strictly T, but would definitely get more suggestive themes. But it will be interesting to see Zoe and Eden as older women and any potential romantic relationship they end up having. No smut, I promise, worst will be some make-outs and suggestive language (from Zoe we all know).**

 **Different Miraculouses and superheroes exist around the world.**

 **That makes sense, because it has been mentioned Pixie Girl, from a series of the same name, takes place in New York and is implied to be in the Quantic Universe, and it would also stand to reason other superheroes from the comics scattered around the show exist. Hey, maybe we'll see the heroes from the PV (Quantic Kids).**

 **There will be a female Brazilian Miraculous holder.**

 **Okay. That will be interesting to watch. Though I feel the man to woman ratio is getting a little insane even without my assistance. But I'm all for girl power, hence why my protagonists are both female.**

 **There are dozens are kwamis, and their origin will be explained.**

 **So…does every continent have their own Miracle Box? We just have some USA kwamis like Eagle or Lion or something? Though I guess that would explain the Chinese Zodiac themed ones if they were from China originally.**

 **There will be new characters from other countries, particularly China and New York, USA.**

 **Oh dear. Since I already have three OCs from the US, two of which from a different universe, that's going to be very interesting. China sound cool and I have a suspicion Pixie Girl and the Sorcerer are the ones for New York, but we'll see.**

 **Ladybug will travel to other countries outside of France because the danger will become greater. She'll go to other places to save them and collect Miraculouses.**

 **No part of me is surprised. But does that mean we're just going to have an army of superheroes? Are we battling aliens or something? … "Paula! Get over here! We're making a bet!"**

 **(That is my literal first reaction upon reading that)**

 **It's possible to wear and transform more than one Miraculous. In concept art, Marinette appears to combine the Ladybug and Rat/Mouse Miraculouses, along with combine the Ladybug and Dragon Miraculouses (Dragon Bug) and Adrien appears to combine the Cat and Snake Miraculouses (Snake Noir).**

 **Yeah, no. Dragon Bug in probably not happening. If it does, Zoe would have to be either still recovering from her coma, which would mean next episode or two, or if she gets akumatized, which I have an akumatized persona for her that I only might use, one for civilian and one for superhero. Snake Noir might happen though, and that Rat one will probably as well. That is, unless Zoe and Eden interfere like usual.**

 **Marinette and Adrien will switch Miraculouses at some point.**

 **And all our fanfictions have come true. The concept art looks like they just added Deadpool and Catwoman, but none of you are seeing me complain. Though the odds of it happening like that in** _ **Fireheart**_ **is slim, because Eden has her ears pierced and Zoe has made it clear her desire to use the Cat Miraculous at one point. Can you see where I'm going with this? Not that giving Zoe the power to kill anything she touches in a good idea.**

 **Master Fu will be seen transformed with the Turtle Miraculous, and his superhero name is Jade Turtle. He wears the shield as an Asian conical hat.**

 **Again, all our fanfictions are coming true, as Jade Turtle was a popular name for Nino during transformation in fanfictions before the name Carapace was revealed. And I think the using the shield as a hat is cool and makes sense for Master Fu's design and I'm glad they didn't add that for Nino's because that would make less sense. Though since Master Fu couldn't transform in** _ **Origins**_ **, I don't understand why he would now, or why Nino isn't the one to do it. Maybe it has something to do with he and Alya believing Lila?**

 **The sneak peek into Season 3 episode 2**

 **For the show, that's gonna go downhill real fast and I have a sneaking suspicion Cat Blanc will be tied to that at one point or another. For** _ **Fireheart**_ **, it's not gonna happen because a) Adrien lives with them right now, b) Tom and Sabine already know, and c) Adrien and Marinette are already dating and know each other's identities.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Well, I changed my profile picture. That's the only notable thing that's happened.**

 **Wait, there is one more. I don't know where, but it said the next episode and episode 3 will be released February 19-21, so there will be multiple filler chapters scattered about in this time. But I also heard episode 2 will be December 30** **th** **so…**

 **Chapter 7: The road to recovery that Zoe got a car for because she was too lazy to walk**

"ADRIEN, YOU PRICK! PUT ME DOWN!"

Now, all bystanders in the street were very confused by hearing Zoe screech this, being carried bridal style by Adrien into the bakery. Because Eden had been given that conversation an hour prior, here was the context: Zoe was discharged from the hospital but was still told to be on bedrest for a week or two longer, and Adrien was being a mother hen and carrying her places so she wouldn't tear her stiches, at least not for another week when they would be removed, not that she liked that in any way; Blazze was still dormant so she didn't transform and book it, lest they find her in a hole somewhere with torn stitches, not to mention the still healing cuts on her feet from running on broken glass.

"Calm your tits, I'm not taking you anywhere dangerous, I just don't want to irritate your feet."

She squirmed, "I'm fine, if not annoyed!"

He ignored her and carried her to the guest room and sat her down, turning on _Supernatural,_ specifically the two episodes she missed, to keep her busy, "I'll be back with food."

Suddenly, Zoe was smirking wickedly, "Are you my servant now?" Adrien's expression told both girls the answer, and how much of a mistake that was in hindsight as Zoe cackled, "Yes! I will abuse my power!"

Adrien just groaned, "Are you really okay?"

Zoe softened, before shaking her head reluctantly, still looking him dead in the eye, "No. I'm not okay. It's like every time I close my eyes, I see it; it's just there, watching me."

Eden thought she was talking about being almost murdered, but Adrien had another idea, "It's stubble, Zoe, it's not that big of a deal. I've been a little preoccupied worrying about you." It was true, Adrien was fifteen, so he needed to shave his face, which he usually did until this week where he had more important things to worry about. It wasn't a beard, but there was no denying the fact he probably should shave unless he wanted to have a beard in the near future.

"Well that's no excuse!" She snapped, " _Duck Dynasty_ called, and they want it back."

Adrien suddenly paused, "Did you just make a _Supernatural_ reference inside a _Duck Dynasty_ reference?"

"Popculture-ception bitch."

He groaned again, clawing at his hair, "I should have known that would be the first thing you point out." He turned to leave, "Evelyn, meet Zoe; Zoe, Evelyn."

Zoe stared at her, before holding a hand out awkwardly, "Hi. I'm Satan."

Eden laughed. This was not the same girl who had left their world, she was bold and confident, not afraid to express her true nature within seconds of meeting someone. She took her sister's hand and sat down, "Evelyn."

Zoe's demeanor suddenly went darker, but not yet truly unkind—more suspicious curiosity—holding up a pink and blue seashell, "Adrien says you were responsible for this. How'd you know?"

"Did Adrien not tell you?" Eden sucked in a breath, knowing Master Fu was right about it not being the right time, and after endangering him, she owed it to him, "I'm a psychic, you know…readings off people, visions, that stuff…"

She softened, "Hm. Can you tell me the future then?"

Eden thought about it. There were not plenty of spoilers she could disclose, and Zoe knew a good portion of them because she went missing on December 14th, 2018—so she knew about the Comic-com experience. And what was worse, Thomas Astruc had managed to keep Jeremy Zag under wraps! Using the power of No-Spoiler man, the Miraculers were deprived of spoilers! The horrors! Sure, they got plenty of Fireheart speak, and the character was considered a beacon of light for crack videos and fanfictions—though those Zoe X Adrien ones could go anywhere from fluffy to more sinful than MariChat—but it was not the same. After Hope Morphin trolled them by saying Zoe was Adrien's new love interest, most of the fandom had hated Zoe, fearing she'd interfere with the love square, like how they all hated Luka; but once Astruc confirmed their relationship was important, but purely _platonic_ and _only_ that, they all loved her.

"I don't see the future very often, I'm just insightful."

Zoe clearly didn't take that as an answer but decided to let it go for unknown reasons. She crossed her arms, but not in a threatening manner, just because it was comfortable, "Anything else I should know about you?"

"Yes. Lila calls me Eden Imelda for some reason, and I don't know why. She's your sister, I know that, but why she calls me that is unknown." That was not a lie, she had no idea why Lila used her full name.

That caught Zoe attention, "How would Lila know my sister's name? I've only told Adrien her name, and not the Imelda part as she was irritated by it."

"Hawk Moth?" Eden suggested, earning a dejected nod from Zoe.

"That makes sense. And you do look like an older version of her, easily. If I didn't know better, I'd ask if you're her." She perked up, "Hey, since Adrien shall be my slave and I'm in the mood for a buddy, wanna watch _Supernatural_ with me?"

"Heck yes." Mother had never let her watch that show, and the only reason Zoe could, was because of the following:

 _Mother: Zoe, no_ Supernatural _._

 _Zoe: Yes ma'am._

 _(not ten minutes later, and Dad had been in the room when Mother had said no.)_

 _Dad: Hey Zoe, wanna watch_ Supernatural _?_

 _Zoe: Yes!_

Needless to say, Eden wondered how the divorce didn't happen much earlier. Zoe scooted in bed and gestured for her to sit next to her. Eden crawled in and tried as hard as she could not to curl up next to her and cry, feeling her warm body for the first time in years. She wasn't in a coma, she wasn't almost dead, she was right there, smiling at her.

"Okay, let's go to season 1."

OoOoO

After three days of Adrien being her willing slave—which obviously meant he'd shaved—Zoe was sick of it. She was stir crazy, bored—there was only so much YouTube and fanfiction you could handle before boredom claimed you, not that she hadn't favorited them to read or watch later—and needed to do something productive. There hadn't been any akumas either! Even if there was, it wasn't like Adrien would give back her Miraculous, which he kept on his person, so she wouldn't take it like she had tried to.

At least Evelyn was good company, if not painful. She was so much like Eden it hurt, but also different enough she sometimes forgot about all the uncanny similarities. She had thought of the idea of the two girls being one in the same, like a Mariette and Ladybug situation, but why would she hide and why would Master Fu not tell them? She had seen enough _Psych_ to know the psychic thing was utter horseshit, but Evelyn had been able to confirm Mulmouse and Aspik, two things of the future, so the only other explanation would be her being from Zoe's own world, but that was practically impossible.

Right?

She pulled at her hair. Whatever the doctors had given her as nourishment while she was under had left a bad taste in her mouth that she could not get out.

She pulled out her phone and looked through her contacts. She finally got Eli's number, and according to Adrien, he wasn't at school yet, so he wouldn't be busy right now.

She dialed his number, "Eli?"

He picked up in seconds, _"Zoe! Good to hear from you, Princess. How're you feeling?"_

"Bored and aggravated by that question." She giggled as she could feel his shame, "How about you? I hear you aren't at school yet."

" _I'm also bored. Running start has got me on my toes. As lovely as it is to hear from you, proof you aren't in a hospital, what'd you need?"_

Zoe crossed her arms and his chuckle told her he knew that, "Isn't it a knight's duty to rescue the princess? I'm bored. Rescue me."

" _But aren't you supposed to be on bedrest for at the very least a week, preferably two?"_

"True, true. But a) they never specified all of it in one go, b) a couple hours never hurt anyone, and c) what part of your admittedly limited relationship with me makes you think I give two fucks."

There was silence on the line for a minute, before Eli gave a dejected sigh, _"Fine. But the second you even wince, I'm taking you back to the bakery. Be there in ten. And we'll only be out for an hour or two."_

"Fine by me." She smirked, "Adrien will get out of school in four or five, so he doesn't have to know. See you in ten." She hung up and proceeded to change into a loose grey hoodie and navy jeans with black sneakers. Her hair was in a braid falling down her back, and while it was messy, she didn't give enough fucks to brush it; it wasn't like she was trying to impress him, he was her friend and savior from bleeding to death or dying of boredom, nothing more, nothing less.

Walking downstairs found her pleasantly surprised to find neither Tom or Sabine around. She loved them to bits, but they were henning over her just as much as Adrien! Besides, this made it easier to get out, and not jump out the window, which would be unpleasant without her Miraculous; not impossible, but she had to admit jumping out a two-story window would not be kind on her stitches or feet.

She waited in the main room for a bit before she saw Eli walking down the street. She walked out to meet him, "Hey!"

He turned towards her, "Hey Princess. If you could have left so easily, why didn't you before?"

"Oh, I didn't it would be so easy. I thought you'd have to climb through my window."

Eli shook his head with a laugh, "The fair maiden's enchantment could only be broken for the True Love's First Kiss, she was locked away in a Castle guarded by a terrible fire breathing Dragon named Adrien Agreste. Many brave knights had attempted to free her from this dreadful Prison, but none prevailed, she waited in the Dragon's Keep in the highest room of the Tallest Tower for her True Love, and True Love's First Kiss... Haha! Like that even gonna happen—WHY I RECREATING THE SHREK INTRO!?"

"How am I supposed to know? I didn't ask you to do so. And what curse do you speak of?"

"You are cursed to be eternally bored, until I, the mighty Sir Eli came to save you!" He threw an arm to the sky to be more dramatic.

She crossed her arms as they walked, thanking herself for taking Motrin so she wouldn't risk him taking her home, she enjoyed his company, "So does that mean you're my true love?"

"I don't know. I don't believe in love at first sight and marriage at second meeting, you know? By that standard, you and I would have been married. If I were even going to consider dating a girl, I would need to know her for a while."

"Agreed."

They continued walking and sightseeing, going to the zoo and around the city.

They ran into Andre that ice cream man.

"Hello Zoe. Long time no see." He held up the ice cream scoop, "Ice cream?"

Well, it was almost the Winter Solstice, so it was a little late for ice cream, but when had that ever stopped her? "Sure. Why not."

He gave them each an ice cream, and Zoe noted Eli's was chocolate and blueberry. But she opted to not say anything as they ate.

"I'm enjoying myself." He said after a few minutes, "You?" She nodded as she finished off the blackberry and started attacking the chocolate. He looked at the time, "Oh would you look at that, it's been three hours." She sent him a pout and he smiled, "Are you still doing okay?"

"I'm doing great. My stitches itch, but that's it. Just annoying, and won't change, no matter what I'm doing."

"Fair enough. Speaking as someone who has gotten stitches, I understand."

She looked at him in interest, "You've had stitches?"

"Yup. Sliced my calf by tripping on a rusty nail at the lake. Not nearly as interesting, but just as unpleasant where itching is involved. But lucky for you, you didn't require a tetanus shot."

Zoe winced, "Ouch." She then started noticing it had started snowing sometime during their conversation. "Hm. Didn't see that coming."

"Well it is nearly Winter, and eight days till Christmas." He frowned, "What are you doing for Christmas?"

"Who knows." Zoe shrugged, "Since Gabe's a dick and we're not allowed to go back for a while, I'll probably stay with the Dupain-Cheng family. But Chloe's throwing a party on Christmas Eve, so I might go." She smiled sadly, "I remember when my little sister was roughly six, when she convinced me to help her see Santa in action. And we caught Dad eating a cookie."

"Wow. Just…wow. Did she suspect?"

"No. It wasn't abnormal for him to have a midnight snack. He ate her gingerbread house once because he was too sleep deprived to process it wasn't for eating—though it had been toppled by our neighbor's intrusive cat the day prior. And he ate plenty of other stuff I made. Then he'd look like a kicked puppy when he realized he had done wrong, then we ate cake-batter waffles."

He laughed, "I like your Dad."

"Most do. Except for the occasional teacher who didn't do their job, because he didn't let people talk in circles. He was a business man, so he knew how to avoid it. I had one teacher not look me in the eye for three years after that."

They found themselves walking back to the bakery while they chatted, only to find a very disapproving and scared Adrien waiting by the door.

"Oh…" She looked up to him, "You better run before the cat-dragon eats you. No sweet talking will get you out of being murdered." He bowed to her,

"I hope we shall see each other again soon, Princess." He then made eye-contact with Adrien, who was clearly debating using Cataclysm on him, but deciding since Zoe was home safe and sound, there was no harm.

But that didn't mean he wasn't pissed. He grabbed her hand and—gently—dragged her inside

"What the fuck, Zoe! The hell?! You'd scare me like that!? After all the shit we've been through!" He stopped shouting for one whole sentence, "I've fucking bled for you, okay, I WATCHED _RE:CODED_ FOR YOU!"

Zoe just laughed nonchalantly, "I did not make you watch that. You did that on your own. I warned you it was three hours of everlasting filler with no plot significance, but you did not listen."

He grabbed her shoulders, "That's not the point! You should have at least texted me! I was terrified Hawk Moth had kidnapped you or something. You're my dearest friend and I cannot bear to lose you."

Now, this would have made Zoe guilty…if not for one thing, "I did text you. Check your phone."

Adrien looked at his phone and lo' and behold, there was a text from Zoe. Sure, because the school didn't have the best cell service, it only came in recently, but it was still there.

"Oh. Okay then. We have shitty WiFi to blame for this." He smiled a little, "Sorry for flipping out. But back to bed for you, you've had enough activity for today."

"Jesus Gabriel, shut up." Adrien gasped in mock horror, before ruffling her hair,

"Bitch."

"Prat."

"Satan."

"Guys!" Evelyn was standing there with her arms crossed and tapping her foot, while Marinette was giggling. Plagg had been sitting in Adrien's hair, letting this just unfold.

Zoe huffed and got back in her pajamas upon entering her room and sat in bed grumpily, eating the donut she grabbed from the counter on her way up.

Adrien came in with hot cocoa, "Cold?" She nodded reluctantly, and he gave her the hot drink—which went quite well with donuts thank you very much.

"Well, how was your little adventure?"

"It was a lot of fun. Eli and I walked around the city, checking out the lights and the zoo and shit like that. They were tuning the organ in Notre Dame, so we left within minutes of entering. Nothing noteworthy there for two atheists."

Adrien's smiled suddenly turned a bit more wicked, "And Eli? You seem quite taken with him."

Zoe did not understand exactly what he was implying but got the idea he saw them as maybe more than friends. She blushed furiously, "What?! No! He's just a friend."

Adrien pulled the blanket up on her, "Get some rest, you look tired. We're watching the new Christmas movie with Kurt Russel and those elves that look like gremlins tonight if you want to join us." He turned on the lamp, "See you in a bit." He closed the door.

It was then that Zoe realized just how tired she was, as she very soon fell asleep.

…

Adrien meanwhile, was grinning like an idiot.

"Guys! We must start another club!"

"Huh?" The Dupain-Chengs and Evelyn turned to him in confusion.

"Zoe and Eli. I ship it." Now they got it and began muttering their agreements. Plagg emerged from Adrien's hoodie now,

"I don't know. She said he was just a friend."

"Wait…" Evelyn started beaming, "She said the three dreaded words!? That means she's in love with him and refuses to admit it! We must get working immediately!" She frowned and put a finger under her chin, "How about Eloe?"

"I like that." Tom said happily, "Eloe it is."

OoOoO

Eli walked home reluctantly. Why couldn't he just keep walking with Zoe? Home meant work and long, agonizing nights questioning his morals, and time with her meant happiness and genuine fun.

"I'm home." He called out and saw Douglas in his office,

"Where were you?"

"I was on a walk."

He turned to face him, his dark brown ices full of anger, "A walk? For nearly four hours." He narrowed his eyes, "With whom?"

Eli sucked in a breath, "Zoe Agreste."

"Zoe Agreste? The girl you snuck out with during the Heroes' Day Ball?"

"The one who almost got murdered by Hawk Moth."

Douglas softened, "So you didn't forget why you're here. I assume you interrogated her for details."

He didn't know what to say to that, because he hadn't really, but his guardian couldn't know that. "All she said was his outfit was atrocious." That was true, she had mentioned that, "But she said she hadn't noted much else, a little busy fighting for her life." Not true, but implied.

"Alright." He put his arms behind his back as he turned to the window as the snow got heavier, "You are to get close to her. If she and Adrien Agreste found a connection between Hawk Moth and the disappearance of Emilie Agreste, this is huge, they might have suspects. If we find connections to Emilie, we'll find Hawk Moth."

Eli bit his lip, "Wouldn't that be betraying her? As much as I want him behind bars, using her and her brother for information feels like a violation."

Douglas turned back to him, his eyes as cold as the air outside, "What's wrong? Do you have feelings for her?"

His eyes widened as he shook his head. No. He didn't have feelings for her, he cared about her sure, and he didn't know what he would do if harm came to her again, but he was not in love with her.

"I just…maybe if I joined her class. I'm registered in the school, so it wouldn't be hard."

Douglas poured some scotch, "Good boy. You will join the school after winter break."

"Yes sir." Elu walked to his bedroom, and cried. He didn't want to do this. Hawk Moth would pay for what he did, but Eli refused to drag Zoe back into this, and risk putting her in even more danger. And she would never forgive him for dragging Adrien into it either.

"What am I going to do…?" He asked himself quietly, looking towards the rising moon for answers, only to find none.

 **A/N: Yeah, Eli does have a secret. The next chapter will be Christmas and shit, call it The Better Christmas Special. I might make it a musical, but using traditional Christmas songs instead of original because I am no songwriter, review for opinions, because I don't care.**

 **And here's a Christmas gift to me. Can we get to 45 reviews?**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: This opening part with breakfast is literally what went down on Christmas Eve for me. I hate my cousins, except for one, who is pretty much a gender-bent me in personality.**

 **Chapter 8: The Christmas Special that should have been**

It was Christmas Eve around ten in the morning when Zoe woke up. Everyone else was still asleep except Evelyn, who had eaten the remnants of Organization Cookie—there had been fourteen cookies, so they named each one after a _Kingdom Hearts_ Organization XIII character, the original organization, not the new one. Xion cookie had been the first to go, followed soon by Lexaeus, Vexen, Larxene, Zexion and Marluxia. It was Tom who ate Mansex—wait no, she meant Xemnas—and it led to awkward laughter all around.

Evelyn was eating Roxas cookie by the fire, half asleep watching that Kevin Spacey movie when he turned into a cat.

She walked to Adrien and Marinette's trapdoor, beginning to sing the tune of _Do you wanna build a snowman,_ from _Frozen_ ,

" _Do you wanna go kill Hawk Moth?_

 _C'mon let's go and slay!_

 _I can't use magic anymore,_

 _Get off the floor,"_ because she knew he slept on the floor because he rolled off things, _"It's like your head has rolled away._

 _We used to be all happy, but now we're not, I wish Fu would tell me why!_

 _Do you wanna go kill Hawk Moth?_

 _Or it could also be Mayura."_

Adrien opened the trapdoor, "Merry Christmas Eve to you too." He was still a mother hen, but a week of her being relatively obedient—other than putting a pop-tart wrappers in the microwave Shane Dawson style for some entertainment, and because she needed ways to kill Gabriel—he was back to almost normal, but he still had a gun on his person at all times in case he needed to shoot an akuma to protect his new family. Tom and Sabine were very disturbed at first by them being locked and loaded all the time, but after Chameleon and the pepper spray, the realized it was actually smart and decided to just roll with it. If the school district just made Zoe and Adrien sign to only kill villains and otherwise didn't give a fuck, they could deal. Not that Zoe didn't still call him Steve ( _Stranger Things, 2_ ) or Aqua ( _Kingdom Hearts, Birth by Sleep_ ), the respective mother figures of their show or video game.

Adrien was wearing a cat onesie and Marinette was wearing a ladybug one as they walked downstairs and flopped on the couch, aimlessly watching the movie.

She had forgotten she was the only one with any form of energy, because they had gone to school and shit, and she had been lounging and reading fanfiction, and discovered the horrors of FireNoir (Fireheart X Cat Noir). Now that was the definition of smut. Smut was okay, even good sometimes, but when you don't see it coming, and when it's about you and your surrogate brother, is a whole different topic.

Zoe went to the kitchen and pulled out the ingredients and began cooking her paternal Uncle Nicolas LaMotte's eggnog French toast. LaMotte was her grandmother's maiden name, and her second son took it. Zoe liked that surname better, but honored the Carpenter name for her Dad. But this was a family recipe that she loved.

"Who wants eggnog French toast?" Adrien and Evelyn shot up and practically teleported to the counter and started battling and swearing colorfully over the syrup and French toast. Zoe herself just sat on another counter and took a thing of apple cider in a champagne glass while watching the world burn.

Marinette just stared at Zoe, then her boyfriend and the psychic battling like it was the fucking Hunger Games over the powdered sugar.

Tom and Sabine were standing awkwardly in the doorway as Evelyn and Adrien just about killed each other. And Zoe noted this was beginning to look like her former life; just a trampled slain barbie on the ground under the oven, food everywhere—except for that box of pop-tarts, that should be empty.

Zoe finished off the apple cider and just poured the syrup and powdered sugar, solving the problem before it got bloody. Adrien was a cinnamon roll, but being deprived of most food for fourteen years of his existence—not counting his time in the womb—made him a bit of a beast when Zoe cooked her delicious baked goods. Chloe was the same way, and nobody knew how to respond to that.

This was the true Christmas Special, the episode would start at Chloe's party, but this was the reality. Sibling homicide over food, the parents unsure of what to do, the girlfriend just laughing nervously but still amused, and Satan sipping champagne at her success. That was a Carpenter-LaMotte Christmas right there. Now it was a Dupain-Cheng-Agreste-Autumn-Carpenter Christmas. If a burglar or a bank robber came in and saw this, they would just be like "You know what, we're gonna go. Seems like a bad idea to fuck with that."

Tom sat down nervously, "Um…context please."

"My Grandma's French toast caused multiple family battles. My aunt developed Schizophrenia and currently lives in the woods, all because she tried to get the recipe and was deemed unworthy." True story, though that may not have been the cause for insanity. Zoe had loved her grandma, because she always referred to her mother as "woman" or "you" and Mother behaved around her, trying to have her real name used. It wasn't that Grandma forgot or had a memory problem, she just saw her daughters-in-law as the birthmothers of her grandchildren and nothing more, as nobody was good enough for her sons. Grandma didn't give a fuck. She died at eighty-nine because her stubbornness had kept her alive—and Zoe wasn't 100% sure her mother didn't murder the woman in rage. Though it might have been the forty-year expired cold medicine. Grandma was a hoarder.

Honestly, Zoe didn't even know her mother's name. Nobody had ever told her, and when she asked, she was told "You address me as Ma'am, so my birth name doesn't matter." When she had asked her Grandma about it, she was told that nobody gave a shit and she just a fertile sex toy, so it didn't matter. There was a reason people considered her a small clone of her Grandma, as she was supposed to look exactly like her as well. Zoe LaMotte, who knew. Dad had wanted to name her Millie because of it, but opted against it because he got banned to the couch for a month for even suggesting it.

Zoe then realized she was getting too deep into her backstory and went back to reality, "Yeah. Don't judge me. I almost defeated Hawk Moth with cheesecake." Really though, Gabriel had snuck into her room to eat her cheesecake once, and set off the falling halberd trap and almost got cut in half.

Speaking of Gabriel, she wondered if he had received her Christmas card. She pulled out her phone as the others calmly ate food. It had been a card that was all lovey-dovey on the front and could have been from Adrien, then on the inside it had a pop-up middle finger with the song _Fuck You_ playing from the speaker, and the words "I lived, bitch" printed under the finger. There were also a ton of Ladrien pics in the pocket.

 **Z:** Did you get my card?

 **G:** I hate you. Yes, I got it, you had me fooled with a card from my son. You better have not corrupted him, or told him.

Zoe took a picture of Adrien stuffing his face with French toast,

 **Z:** Told him? No. Corrupted him? If by pointing out what an abusive cunt you are, and feeding him food, is corrupting him, then I'm not done.

 **G:** I will kill you.

 **Z:** Sure sure, and I'm a unicorn. You didn't even succeed with Volpina dropping me off the Eiffel Tower. Your akumas have been defeated with pepper spray, a water jug, and an axe. I suffer from Main Character Syndrome, which means I'm a bad bitch, you can't kill me.

 **G:** *middle finger emoji*

 **Z:** Hate you too. Time to go get your son laid. Bye.

She looked up, and chuckled at how she could sense Gabriel swearing colorfully on the other side of the line and hiring a hitman or trying to send an akuma to kill her, which would never get past the _Home Alone_ style defense system downstairs. She wanted to keep Adrien a virgin until his wedding—or thirty, whichever came first—but Gabe didn't have to know that.

"Who were you texting?" Sabine asked.

"Gabe. He wants to kill me for teaching his son how to be a human being. You see Adrien, you breathe in and out and in and out, and you eat food by chewing, opening and closing your mouth, then swallowing."

Adrien rolled his eyes and swallowed a giant bite, "She and I literally had that conversation, and Natalie was worried about my mental health, but for the wrong reasons. Not that I'm severely neglected and have an akuma murderess as my sister, but she thought I was ready to kill myself. If I were going to, I'd go outside during an akuma not transformed and say, 'hey Hawk Moth, fuck you!'. Or spill something, because my father would literally skin me for staining a designer shirt by spilling."

Marinette sighed, "You need help, you're damaged. Anyway, back to Christmas stuff, what are you planning to wear to Chloe's party, Zo?"

"Can I raid your designs? Gabriel's shit is itchy, and yours is both beautiful and comfy."

Marinette groaned, "Are you just going to model for me?"

"Forever and always." Adrien and Evelyn raised their forks in agreements.

"Let's finish breakfast before you pick out a dress, then we do some last-minute Christmas shopping, and then get ready." Evelyn grinned.

Adrien smiled a bit, "And I will sit back and watch movies because I did all the shopping, and still need to do the napping and the wrapping."

Sabine had left sometime during this conversation, and was now dressed, "Okay, let's go."

OoOoO

While the girls were gone, Adrien and Tom were wrapping gifts, because they had all forgotten to do it and pretended they hadn't.

Tom was wrapping a waffle iron and an old microwave, and then an old deep fryer.

"Who is that for?"

"Who do you think?"

Zoe. She was going to be making something evil with those. Adrien wouldn't be the slightest bit surprised if that aforementioned barbie was going in that deep fryer, made to look like McDonalds chicken nuggets—but that might be what McDonalds was, just deep-fried garbage—and fed it to Gabriel. She would kill him before he could strike again. Or she'd blow up the mansion.

He laughed, "One month later…" in a feminine voice, "Nadja Chamack here, don't be bemused, it's just the news. The Agreste mansion has exploded because Zoe Agreste put a gun in the microwave and killed everybody. There are no survivors. Paris has detonated."

Tom looked at the wrapped microwave in fear, "This may have been a mistake. Too late for humanity now."

"Goodbye Hawk Moth."

They laughed together at how screwed everyone was.

OoOoO

The party was beautiful, and like a Christmas version of the _Despair Bear_ ball. It had been three hours of the women getting ready, and Adrien was just wearing a Darth Vader ugly sweater, because no fucks.

Marinette was wearing a white and red silk velvet, her hair in a braided ponytail, and was holding Adrien's arm. Couple strangeness goals.

Evelyn had a deep green sleeveless mini-dress and white leggings, because she liked dancing. Her hair had been brushed, and nothing more, it was too short because you can't do much with a bob.

And Zoe was the fucking Snow Queen—not Elsa. The dress was white lace for the most part and the same silver crystal headband she wore on her birthday; there were also similar gems as the headband on the dress, and it shone, but not in a weird way. Nobody knew she was wearing sneakers in the event she wanted to walk home, the dress was long enough that she could get away with her, and people could be distracted by the white extensions in her hair.

To Zoe's shock, Eli was there, drinking hot cocoa awkwardly in the corner, and was wearing an ugly kitten sweater and jeans. He, like Adrien, gave zero fucks. If Zoe hadn't accidentally promised to model forever for Marinette, she'd be with them.

"Eli!"

Eli looked up, "Hey Ice Princess, I have no idea why the fuck I'm here, I think Adrien invited me by stealing your phone. I'm awkward and confused, but this is an excuse to escape my uncle, help."

Zoe put a hand on his shoulder tauntingly, "Aw. If the knight scared of the people?"

"Says the chick who I know is an introvert and bolted from a party the second I offered." He looked around, "Speaking of which, I give it an hour before I book it, wanna join?"

"Fuck yes." She laughed, "I feel like this is our thing, this is our ritual, every party we go to, leave not even halfway through."

Music started playing, slow dance music. Eli shrugged and held out a hand,

"Wanna dance?" Zoe smirked and took his hand as he led her on the ballroom floor as they began to dance. _Where are you Christmas_ by Faith Hill was playing. Adrien and Marinette danced by them and Adrien mimicked Alya the last time there was a dance they were all at and placed Zoe's hands on Eli's shoulders and his hand on her waist, then spinning back to Marinette. Zoe and Eli stared at each other, earning a shrug from both of them as they continued dancing.

They were so caught up with the song and the dancing, and the fact they were quite close to each other, and they didn't notice anything else until they heard laughing, and looked up to see the other Miraculous six holding a ton of mistletoe on strings above them. Together, Eli and Zoe flipped them off.

"There are six of us!" Evelyn said, pretending to be the mistletoe, "You cannot escape the rules!"

Eli took one look at them, took Zoe's hand, and stepped to the side. He looked smug, only to find Ivan towering over him, with more mistletoe.

"What the fuck conspiracy is this?!" Zoe shrieked, "Fuck this shit, we're out."

"You do not escape until you followed the rules!" Adrien.

Zoe and Eli sighed, and leaned in for a kiss, but Eli chickened out at the last second and it turned into a hug, even Zoe was bitterly disappointed.

"Wuss. If you're going to do something, do it right." She was being purely sarcastic, and everyone knew it, but the mistletoe was getting closer.

"Fine!" He pecked her on the lips, fast enough it could be taken as a friendly peck. Everyone groaned, but they couldn't do anything.

The music started again, and it was another slow dance. Zoe threw her hands up,

"Alright assholes! What the fuckity fuck is going on?!"

Everyone looked scared for a moment, and backed off. Adrien was eating a cinnamon roll on the second floor, letting this unfold, but not brave enough to reveal what was going on.

"Fuck all of you." She groaned and grabbed Eli's arm, and they hid on the roof.

"What was that about?" Eli wondered aloud.

"Who fucking knows. I'll bet they made a club to interfere with my love life and see us as a thing."

If there was one thing she enjoyed, it was watching him squirm and blush.

"I—what—um—huh…"

"Don't even say anything. I made the mistake of saying you're 'just a friend', and those are the three dreaded words that when Adrien says it, means he's subconsciously pining for someone. Therefore they probably took it the wrong way. Even though you really are a friend and only that." Why did she feel like she was lying to herself and it hurt? She didn't know.

Eli sighed in relief, "Thank god." He looked down at the ground many floors down, "Wanna ditch?"

"Yeah. I'm healed enough." It was true, the gash on her cheek had scarred nicely and her stitches had come out of her side, the skin and flesh were just tender. Eli still wasn't convinced and swept her off her feet, and jumped unto the awning of the hotel and landed dramatically. Thank you being in a TV show, or that could have ended badly.

"Okay, step one is complete. Now what?"

Zoe shrugged as he put her down, "Pig out at the bakery?"

"Hell yeah."

And so, they did. Zoe changed into an ugly stormtrooper sweater and black sweat pants.

She started stirring the batter for gingerbread cookies, "Wanna join me?"

Eli nodded, and they baked together, but it turned out he did not know how to bake, and when the gingerbread men came out, most were disemboweled and murdered.

Zoe grinned and made them look like people, with panicked eyes and red frosting as blood, all over the place.

"It's crime scene cookies. My favorite."

They ate the crime scene cookies and cuddled—totally platonically—while watching _Spaceballs_ , because that was a Christmas tradition Eli wished he had and Zoe had.

…

Adrien, Eden and Marinette found them fast asleep on the couch with _Robin Hood: Men in Tights_ playing in the background, and they smirked, throwing a blanket over them. Adrien brushed Zoe's long hair our of the couch cushion, causing her to make cute noises and snuggle against Eli.

The party had been amazing and fun, but the Eloe plan failed and that was boring, but Eden did find herself dancing with Luka for a moment, before forcing him upon Kagami. At least Lukagami could happen, not that it was anything other than awkward. Fail.

Tom and Sabine shushed them and gestured for them to go upstairs.

"Good night. We called Eli's uncle, and he said, begrudgingly, that it was fine if he stays for breakfast tomorrow, something about wanting him to get close to Zoe. He joined the Eloe club, but I feel like it might be for different reasons."

Marinette and Adrien kissed each other good night, and went upstairs.

Eden flopped over on the bed and Roari emerged,

"When are you gonna tell her?"

Eden shrugged as she got up and put PJs on, "Season Finale maybe. I don't know. But she might be mad if I wait too long." She shrugged, "I'll think about it later. Night Roari."

"Night."

OoOoO

Zoe woke up and found herself cuddled up against Eli. Why was he here at 8am? Not that she was complaining. But it was Christmas so…

"Hey! Get up! We need to go to the bagel shop!"

"Wha…what time is it?" He blinked sleepily.

"8am. Rise and Shine, motherfucker!"

"Foamy the Squirrel? Really?" He laughed, "Me." Sitting up, he noted the tree full of presents, "I stayed the night. Fuck. My uncle's gonna kill me!"

Marinette came in "My parents called your uncle. He'll pick you up around eleven."

Adrien came down in fuzzy cat slippers after a moment, "Meow. Morning."

"Nobody gives any fucks about the fact it's Christmas?" Evelyn asked incredulously.

"Unless I get news that Hawk Moth inhaled an akuma and choked and died, not really." Eli gaped at her, before bursting into laughter.

"Good morning kids." Tom cheered, "Movies or gifts?"

Everyone looked between each other, and the gifts, "Movies." They all felt awkward having Eli here and opening gifts. And so, they watched—roasted—that Tim Allen movie when he turned into Santa Claus, because reasons, and they all pointed out what would happen if Zoe murdered the old man; she'd inflict the curse upon Gabriel, that was what. Cursed to be a decent being forever.

There was a knock on the door and a tall imposing man stood there, looking at all of them like he was debating if he should even be here. Eli smiled bitterly at the man,

"Guys, this is my uncle…Douglas."

"Now is not the time for being polite. Time to go." He grabbed Eli's hand and dragged him down the street,

"Bye Princess! I had fun!" Zoe frowned and pulled out a pistol from her hip that she had had on her the entire time, only for Adrien to shake his head.

"Eli will be fine, no killing his guardian. I know you're crazy, and we'll check on him as superheroes later, but maybe Douglas is just anti-social."

"I suppose you could be right." Sabine muttered, perking up, "Presents?"

They all ran upstairs and sat on the couch as Zoe passed out gifts in various piles per person, but she couldn't reach the ones on the shelf next to the tree.

"You can't give presents if you can't reach them, Satan." Adrien said jokingly. Zoe narrowed her eyes at him and glared. His eyes widened at the reaction, and soon he found himself pinned to the couch as the small, vicious brunette tackled him with speed and force of a ferocious dragon.

"Help!" He squirmed in her grip, though a few giggles that escaped him disproved the need for rescue.

"You know you're my friend," Evelyn replied, "But I'm scared of Zoe."

"Fair enough," Adrien laughed, "I beg for mercy, you're killing me." He grabbed the gift from the shelf and offered the package to her. "You can go first, Zo." He ducked his head and sent his surrogate sister a playful gaze.

She smirked at him and looked at the label, "This one's for you, prick, so you might as well open it now."

"Ah, if he got yours, I want to give mine too!" Marinette rummaged through the stack of packages to retrieve a box wrapped in green paper. "Here you go! Merry Christmas, kitty!"

"Me too!" Evelyn piped in, passing Adrien the third present. Tom and Sabine passed around hot cocoa.

The teens waited patiently as Adrien carefully unwrapped his gifts. He went with Marinette's first, squealing like a fangirl when he pulled out the black beanie with black cat ears sewn to the top. Adrien put it on and wrapped himself with the soft fabric, grinning in delight.

"Thank you!" He exclaimed and pulled his girlfriend into a hug. "I love it!"

Marinette beamed at his reaction as he put it on, and it was clear she was elated. Adrien finally released her and move to Zoe's gift. It was the drawing of their dream family, adding in the Dupain-Chengs and Evelyn, with Alya, Nino and Chloe. It was framed with old oak wood frame.

Adrien beamed, "It's an update on the real family." He showed off the picture, "This is going by my bed back at the mansion." In a flash, he was at Zoe's side and hugging her fiercely. "It's amazing!"

"Now open the one from me!" Evelyn held out the gift.

Adrien didn't need more cheer. He unwrapped the box and blinked. Then blinked again raising it to his eyes. "How did you…? Are you a witch as well as a psychic?"

"I called in a favor from Wayhem, your creepy stalker at the time, who I think is gay for you. One perk of being a psychic, is that I stole his e-mail from you and got a pic. Ladybug wasn't hard to get, because duh."

"What is it?" Marinette and Zoe tried to peek at the item.

Adrien turned it so that they all could see the framed photo of him being held by Ladybug when rescued after jumping off a building. Everyone awed in unison.

"There's an autograph too!" Sure enough, next to the photo, there was a signature, a little doodle of a yoyo and a stray heart.

Zoe pulled out her phone and snapped a picture, texting it to Gabriel,

 **Z:** Don't you love the gift Adrien got?

 **G:** Did you get him that?

 **Z:** Oddly enough, no. I made him a family picture excluding you.

 **G:** You already know what I'm going to say, so why bother saying it.

 **Z:** Merry Christmas ya filthy animal.

Now it was Adrien's turn to hand out gifts.

Evelyn got a cookbook, because she hated baking but loved cooking and made a mean lasagna that was suspiciously like Zoe's grandma's. Marinette got a red, handmade scarf with black details.

"Adrien…"

"I'm bad at knitting, but I tried." Adrien blushed, and Marinette put it on, kissing him,

"I love it, Kitty."

Zoe got a blowtorch, and everyone worried. She sent a picture to Gabriel of her gift, and he gave a panicked emoji at her "You'll be first," comment.

They finished passing out gifts, and Zoe's response to her kitchen equipment was priceless.

"Oh my god! I always wanted this stuff!" She began singing, _"Tis the season to blow shit up, fa la la la la, Gabe'll have to find a new house."_

"No putting a gun in the microwave." Tom lectured, "I don't want to get that phone call."

They all laughed, then Adrien held the box he got from Gabriel, which was way too fancy. Zoe got a gift card for a therapist, that she immediately threw away, then dug out for Adrien in the near future.

Zoe glared at the box as she realized Gabriel didn't know the contents of that box. Sure, he had asked Nathalie to buy the gifts from a list he provided of popular shit—there was a chance it was another _Kingdom Hearts 3_ , not that either would complain—but he had no idea what Natalie had decided to go with.

Adrien took a breath, expecting something lame he didn't want and would donate, but he found the entirety of the _Kingdom Hearts_ manga. He flipped through the pages,

"It's something I actually like…" He awed, but he clearly saw his father wa a dick, because he knew Natalie knew he had wanted these. Natalie was the one getting a thank you.

"Merry Christmas kids." Tom said, and they all hugged him while the kwamis feasted on food on the counter,

"Merry Christmas."

 **A/N: Merry Christmas guys.**

 **Also, I will be doing Weredad, but it won't happen the same way it says in the synopsis, because Adrien and Marinette are dating and will stay that way.**

 **See you soon, probably next year!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Fun fact – Zoe's grandma is based off my real-life grandma, as well as her relationship with my mom, who is nothing like Zoe's mom (who is based of my friend's mom to whom I got arrested, I shit you not), but that relationship is real and the question of my mother's name really happened, but it was because I was too awkward to ask my Mom. I love my grandma, but her various meat jellos will haunt my dreams forever. Her tombstone reads, "I told you I was sick!"**

 **Also, I heard a theory that Animaestro will be like Frightengale, except a full on musical experience. Yay (sarcastic much), but that will be funny to see in this story because most of the characters have ceased to give fucks.**

 **Also, since most of the Weredad episode was around MariChat (or lack thereof), most of the chapter diverts from that, hence why I don't wait for English anything. I just needed the powers. Because remember, Tom knows all their identities, and they all live together, so it had to be different.**

 **Warning, there is a mature theme within this chapter involving sexual harassment—no rape, I promise.**

 **Anyway, let's go.**

 **Chapter 9: LadyNoir, Glitterbug and Wyvern (aka the almost ultimate kwami swap)**

Why did Hawk Moth reakumatize Gigantiton? Why was he praying on that baby? He knew full well August was too young to obey. Maybe deep down inside he wanted a better relationship with his son so his was trying to get that from other children. Not that it mattered, because the kid was just defeated by a donut—same honestly, she would stop a rampage as an akuma for a donut, easily.

August fell into Ladybug's arms. They hadn't really needed all four heroes, but that just made it easier. Tigris had officially lost her weapon, because this was the second time she had dropped it somewhere, but she had her claws and the oversized baby like kitties, so it worked.

"You just needed a midnight snack, didn't you?" Ladybug's earrings beeped, and she handed the baby to Cat Noir, "Can you three take him home, I'm about to transform back." She raced off without an answer and Fireheart shrugged—this was her first time out! He was still going to take it back and had made it clear it was only because Gigantiton wasn't overly dangerous and she had begged.

"Come on, I know Mari was gonna get something for Tom as a thank you for taking the three of us in, so we should do what she says." She waved to Marinette as she left the bakery and walked towards the store.

"Okie." Fireheart frowned at the baby demanding a lollipop and playing with a strand of her hair. She handed the child her retracted sword, only for Tigris to take it away,

"No. This is why you should never be a mother." She knew Tigris wasn't wrong, and leapt off into the night followed by her friends.

"So…does anyone know where this kid lives?"

OoOoO

It took twenty minutes before they found August's mother. She was grateful for the return of her son and went into her home. Then Fireheart realized they were by Eli's place and she saw him sitting in the windowsill.

"Guys, go ahead without me, I'll just be a minute." She didn't see the knowing smirks from her companions, nor did she see them follow her and listen in from below the window. It was open, and Fireheart noticed that he usually happy friend looked depressed and hollow, and there was a cast over his right wrist.

"Hello?" Eli looked at her, startled.

"Fireheart? What are you doing here? Don't you have superhero stuff to do, like patrol."

"Just got that baby home to his mother after he got akumatized." She sat on the edge of the window and pointed to the cast, because that had not been there when she had seen him three days ago, "What's that?"

Eli looked to the white cast, "Oh. I fell down the stairs." Fireheart saw right through that, and a part of her suspected it was that guy, Douglas, but she had no way to prove it, and as a superheroine, she should have no idea who he is. "I'm Eli by the way."

"I know who you are Eli, I tailed you and Zoe when you two left that charity ball, making sure you guys were safe from muggers. You just looked upset, so I wanted to see if you were okay."

Eli shrugged, "I'm fine, I just have a lot on my mind. My uncle said some things about my relationship with Zoe, and they're making me think."

That got Fireheart's attention, "Such as?"

"He says I have feelings for her, like romantic ones. And that it's blinding my judgement. I don't think I love her like that, but I still remember how scared I was when she was hurt, and how she makes me feel more alive than ever. Do I love her?" He looked up at Fireheart, looking for an answer to the question, proving it wasn't rhetorical.

Fireheart frowned, because he had voiced the things she had thought about him in a sense, and it was interesting to hear his true thoughts of her, "I don't know. I've never been in love before. You care about her, that much is obvious, maybe it just boils down to sincere friendship."

"Thanks, Fireheart." He gave her a grin, a genuine one, "I'm sure Cat Noir and Tigris are getting impatient, because they're sitting below us."

Fireheart looked down and saw her friends looking like they had been caught red-handed, which they had. "I'll have to deal with them. I guess I should go." She leapt down and began floating, "I hope your wrist gets better soon." She gestured for her cat friends to follow and they obeyed.

"What the fuck guys?! I was just talking to a friend, no need to go eavesdropping."

"Sorry." Tigris apologized as sincerely as possible, but it was still a transparent lie. They all laughed as they walked home across the rooftops when they heard a scream; an all too familiar scream.

They looked down and saw a guy pinning Marinette to the wall, a knife in his hand as another man dug through her purse. Tikki flew up to them, but barely had time to react as all three superheroes jumped down, absolutely livid.

"Hey! Jackass! Get the fuck away from her!" Cat Noir lunged at the one holding his girlfriend while Fireheart and Tigris took out the other one—taking turns punching him, because he had tried to run away the second the heroes appeared. Cat Noir knew no mercy and beat his mugger into unconsciousness. He looked to Marinette, who ran into his arms and began crying.

Fireheart kicked the men next to each other, tied them up, and threw them in the dumpster. They'd be fine, the garbage man came in the morning, and she knew the garbage man checked before throwing bodies in. Tigris rolled her eyes, and shut the dumpster, writing on it with a sharpie. MUGGERS INSIDE, GO NO FURTHER WITHOUT BACKUP.

"Why don't we just take them to the cops ourselves?" Cat Noir asked.

"Because I'm just too lazy, and it's not like they're going anywhere. She picked up the pistol, it was a nice gun. She decided to keep it, not like he'd be needing it. Was that theft? Yes. But she wanted it more than he did, and by Rocket's standards in _Guardians of the Galaxy_ , that meant it was okay.

Cat Noir picked Marinette up and they all ran home as the run rose over the horizon.

"Marinette!" Tom and Sabine shrieked upon seeing all their children, biological or no, rush inside. They all detransformed and Zoe looked Marinette over, there was a cut on her upper thigh, but it was shallow as the jeans had taken the blunt of it.

"What happened?" Evelyn asked worriedly, as Adrien wrapped Marinette in a blanket; she was still shaking.

"I-I was walking home a-and those guys grabbed me and pinned me to the wall and took my stuff. Then that one said that I was pretty and that pretty girls like me should be fucked and thrown in a dumpster…you saved me right then." She sobbed onto her mother's shoulder, and both Adrien and Zoe pulled out their guns and stalked out, only to have the hoods of their hoodies grabbed by Tom, who gave them a look that said, "No killing, you two, I'll do it." He was probably one of the only people who could tell Zoe to not kill someone without facing ramifications. She was clinically psychotic and was supposed to still be taking meds, not that she gave any fucks, or packed them.

"Shhh, you're okay Marinette, it's okay. Those men are gonna go to jail."

"And they were the ones thrown in a dumpster, so karma's a real bitch." Zoe tried lightening the mood, because she was really terrible with these situations. She had not expected this at all, sure she had upped the rating a bit, but almost-rape seemed like way too much. At least it was just almost. Evelyn just sent her a sympathetic look as Adrien picked Marinette up again,

"Come on Bugaboo, let's get you upstairs and changed. I'll sleep on the chaise tonight." Zoe poured some tea with honey and brought it upstairs and found Marinette had insisted Adrien stay by her side. Evelyn had a bouquet of flowers that Zoe then realized those were the roses Marinette had bought for her father.

"C-Can you guys stay too?" She asked wearily as Zoe handed her the tea. Evelyn was already preparing a spot for herself and Zoe.

Zoe looked out the window, "I don't think we'll be getting any sleep. But we can stay tonight." She grabbed the makeup chest and started doing hers up a bit to hide her scar. She found the scar could make people upset, and now did not seem like the time for that.

There was a quake and the walls were surrounded in the blackness of an akuma, and suddenly they were in the sky in a bubble of brambles.

A gigantic creature jumped to them, placing a white rose on the tallest part they couldn't reach.

"I am Weredad. I will protect you all, my children. Just you see." He jumped off and everyone panicked.

"He knows who we are." They all said in unison. Evelyn began pacing,

"Okay, this isn't good. He's probably delaying a bit, protecting us, but Hawk Moth gets impatient quick. We need to get out of here."

Adrien and Marinette looked to each other, then to Zoe, who had been formulating a plan. An insane one, sure, but they were stuck at the top of the beanstalk. She smirked and opened the makeup, removing her shirt—she had a bra on, so nobody was flashed—and pulled out the sponges and brushes, and began applying makeup to her side, where they was still a mark and it was still tender.

"What are you doing?" Marinette asked.

Zoe pointed to the thorns of the brambles, "Those brambles were quite close to us, aren't they? And quite sharp. And my skin is still so delicate." Adrien understood her plan,

"Moulage. You're recreating your injury." Zoe nodded and added some makeup to her face to make her skin look ashen.

"One problem." Evelyn pointed out, "Wolves smell blood."

Zoe removed her sneaker and sock on her right foot and took a pocket knife and reopened one of the cuts, taking some of the blood and putting it over her makeup. She winced slightly, but her feet were so callused from years of work, running and overall foot mistreatment, the nerves were pretty dead, and no amount of pedicures and spa treatments got all the calluses.

"There."

"You just mutilated yourself and didn't care." Tikki said worriedly. Even Plagg looked disturbed. Roari looked like she was going to vomit.

"My feet are dead, nerve wise, and I didn't cut too deep, just enough blood to sell it." She removed her choker and handed it to Adrien, holding out her hand, "Give me your Miraculouses, Evelyn and I will get out, and one of you can use my Miraculous to get yourselves out." Evelyn removed her Miraculous and gave it to Marinette, and they all traded. She got some more blood from her foot and put it on the nearest thorn, before putting a cotton round on it, then putting her sock and shoe back on.

Adrien nodded, and Zoe shrieked at the top of her lungs. When Weredad came in, she was in Evelyn's arms limply, looking as weak as she could.

"Papa, please, she got cut by the brambles and her wound reopened, she needs more stitches." Weredad looked and saw Evelyn didn't have her Miraculous and neither did Zoe.

"Okay. Evelyn, take her to the hospital and come right back, I can't let any of you get hurt." He opened the entrance he had come in from and picked up both girls, and Zoe made sure to yelp in pain as he jumped down and placed them safely on the ground. She leaned on Evelyn and the younger girl led her along until they were in Chloe's hotel.

"Zoe!? Evelyn!?" Chloe saw them and sprinted towards them, "What happened?!" She guided them to her room and Zoe sprung to life.

"Marinette got sexually harassed and Tom got akumatized." She pulled out the Cat and Ladybug Miraculous, "He knows who we are, so we swapped. I faked my injury reopening, so we could escape."

Chloe looked out the window, "You mean they're up there?!" Evelyn nodded and put in the earrings. Zoe slipped on the ring.

"Sorry Chlo, we'd give you the Bee, but we're a little busy."

Chloe nodded dejectedly, "I understand. Just tell Pollen I say hi."

"Of course." She turned to Plagg, "Plagg, claws out!"

"Tikki, spots on! Yeah!"

The transformations completed, and Chloe awed at their appearances, pointing towards a mirror.

Zoe's outfit when wearing the Cat Miraculous was a lot like that of Cat Noir's. She wore a black skin-tight catsuit with grey accents at the knees, forearms, waist and neck, but she sadly didn't have the bell. Her hair was in a messy braided ponytail. She had a belt wrapped around her waist and to the floor, making it look like a tail. Her eyes were still blue and had blue sclerae with slit pupils. She also had cat ears on top of her head.

Evelyn's Ladybug costume was cute, and different from Ladybug's, solidifying the theory that it depended on the wielder and their taste. She wore a skin-tight Ladybug patterned suit with black accents on the knees, upper arms, hands and neck, but it was glittery black. Her mask was the same style as Ladybug's, but it was plain red. Her hair was down, and slightly longer, falling to her shoulders, and she had a red headband. She still had a yo-yo around her waist.

She grinned to her companion, "Can I call you Glitterbug? Because it fits."

Glitterbug looked down at herself, "Yeah. What about you? Can I name you?"

"Sure, why not."

"You're LadyNoir now. Both a ship name and a fitting name for you." LadyNoir nodded,

"Cool, let's go." The two girls jumped off the balcony and saw a fire come from the bramble bubble.

Adrien's POV

Adrien pocketed the Tiger Miraculous. It was a bad idea for them to completely switch, because Hawk Moth could figure it out, but it was common knowledge to anyone that knew Zoe's identity that he'd confiscated her Miraculous until she was healed, which judging by her supposedly reopened horrific wound, was in no way the case. He slipped on the choker—hey, boys wear chokers too. They'd go somewhere safe, and he'd go to Master Fu's to get Marinette a Miraculous; or since she was still traumatized, let her sit this one out.

"Blazze, wings out!" The transformation was different than with Plagg, but it worked. Marinette held out her phone for him to see his appearance.

He was wearing a black and red-gold suit, with was very skintight on the top and showed an outline of his pecs and abs, appearing slender and muscular. His suit had a scale texture along with the same kind of underbelly like a snake—because snakes are also reptiles, and not of myth, so that was all he could think of—and has red-gold colored mask around his eyes. His blonde hair was jet black, messy, and had red tips. The sword was strapped to his hip.

Wyvern held his hands out to the bramble wall, "Dragon flame!" A hole burst through the wall and he held his hand out to Marinette, "Shall we, M'Lady?"

Mariette nodded, "We shall." He picked her up and they flew away. He heard Weredad scream for them to come back, but he had no plans to obey as the Miraculous beeped. He had to admit, he understood why Zoe loved this Miraculous, because the ability to fly freely was amazing.

They landed in Alya's window, because he knew Alya was home alone.

Alya looked up from the couch as Wyvern's transformed back into Adrien.

"What? Why are you using Zoe's Miraculous?"

They explained what had happened and Alya gave Marinette a muffin, and another for Blazze.

"I assume you're going after them?" He transformed again and nodded, "Mari, do you want me to get you a Miraculous? Or do you wanna sit this one out, because this is your Dad."

Marinette reluctantly nodded, "I'll go to Master Fu with Alya if you guys need help. But I think the only one needing help will be Hawk Moth. You gave Zoe the power to kill anything she touches, and that is a horrible idea."

Wyvern winced, "Only now do I realize my error. Maybe she took the Ladybug?" He knew there was no way, as Zoe didn't have her ears pierced, but a guy could dream. Maybe Evelyn would stop things from going to shit.

"I should go before someone gets a Cataclysm to the face." He bowed to his lady and jumped out the window. This was gonna be interesting.

Back to LadyNoir's POV

LadyNoir paused before going to the bramble-stalk. They were dealing with a werewolf person. They weren't quite prepared.

"Hold it Glitter, we need supplies."

Glitterbug blinked at her, "What supplies? We have the Cat and Ladybug Miraculous. Adrien and Mari are safe—we should check on Sabine—but what else?"

"Have you not paid attention to _Supernatural_?"

"Oh. Silver." She chuckled, "Why not just use silverware?"

LadyNoir facepalmed, "No, silly. I have silver bullets at the mansion. Let's go."

"But what if Weredad goes looking for us?"

"So? He won't find us."

Glitterbug sighed, "Okay, let's do it, but that's all you."

…

Inside, Glitterbug was squealing. She was Ladybug and her sister was Cat Noir. She remembered she used to pretend it was like that and play games with Zoe, and her sister was such a good sport, so this was a dream come true. Zoe looked beautiful wearing that suit. She remembered Jeremy Zag revealing one for Marinette and a Ladybug suit for Adrien, and a Dragon for Ladybug. What would Zoe look like with the Tiger? The Ladybug? She'd have to design new costumes for each Miraculous with her friends later.

They jumped through Zoe's window in the Agreste mansion and LadyNoir typed in a passcode and her closet opened—more like weapon safe, as there were tons of weapons, more so than their father! And that man had a closet and a fridge sized safe!

LadyNoir grabbed a pistol and filled it with silver bullets, "Okay. That should be enough. Time to go."

…

Back to the bramble-stalk they went, and up it. Both were getting some _Jack and the Beanstalk_ déjà vu. Weredad was clearly angry that his 'children' were gone, and LadyNoir noticed he seemed to have a bungee cord wrapped around him. Who would have thought?

Glitterbug looked at her questioningly as she was held out the gun. "Tom, please don't make me pull the trigger."

Weredad's eyes widened, but he didn't seem understood who they were, "How did you…?"

"Cat Noir and Ladybug owe me a couple favors, so I swiped their Miraculouses upon tricking you. And Adrien still had Fireheart's, so three guesses there." She turned off safety, "Where is the akuma? This gun has silver bullets, and I will use them." That was a lie, but every lie held a kernel of truth, at least the best ones did. She was willing is 1000% necessary, but she didn't want to, and he was a moving target—a large one, but a moving one nonetheless.

Weredad gave her an odd look, before the butterfly symbol appeared. He laughed and lunged at her and Glitterbug.

"You can't hit me, and you wouldn't if you could. You aren't a murderer." She smacked him with her staff, putting the gun at her hip. The Cat Miraculous was a bit more mobile than the Dragon was, and she knew that made sense, due to the fact she had multiple strong powers including flight for mobility. She kicked him and just barely dodged a hit. It seemed Hawk Moth had gotten fed up and ordered him to attack, because it seemed the butterfly villain at least had put two and two together and wanted her dead. He was probably mad and had hoped her wound really had reopened.

"I may not, but there is a thing called Miraculous Ladybug that restores damage, I can do what I want."

"What did I tell you about killing?!" They both turned and saw a new superhero standing before them. He waved, "Hey, it's Wyvern."

"LadyNoir."

Wyvern smiled a bit and looked towards the bramble bubble, "She's looking for the akuma in there?"

"Yeah." She kicked Weredad in the face, knocking him back and into Wyvern, who flew to LadyNoir's side, disorienting the hulking villain.

"You're getting the hang of this."

LadyNoir got a couple more punches in and barely avoided being thrown, "Yeah, you too, but it's not over yet. I hope Glitterbug finds the rose soon."

…

Meanwhile, Glitterbug was looking around. She wished she could fly, because there weren't many handhelds for her yoyo, so she just improvised.

"Come on rose, where are you?" She continued looking and found the rose in a glass case. She was about to grab it and break it to purify the akuma when she stopped. If she broke it, Weredad and the brambles had appeared at the same time with the black gunk, not as his power, so if she broke it them the whole structure would come crashing down and that wasn't good, because her sister couldn't fly. Even if Adrien or Marinette showed up with the Dragon, the power of Dragon flame only worked on the akumatized object and things associated with the power, so it probably wouldn't do anything to Weredad, meaning only the fire shields and the sword would help out. Logic.

She grabbed the entire case and noted the _Beauty and the Beast_ reference in it. She crawled out of the whole and saw LadyNoir and Adrien using the Dragon Miraculous fighting Weredad together. It was quite cool.

"Guys! I have the akuma, but the whole structure will go down when I break it!"

LadyNoir broke off from the fight and ran over to her while Dragon Adrien continued using the shields and his fists to fight.

"There is this thing, called Lucky Charm."

Of course. "Right! Lucky charm!" It was a huge ass kite. LadyNoir shrugged, "Okay then, no guesses there. Cataclysm!" She touched the rose container and the whole thing crumbled, followed by the beanstalk. They all fell.

"Wyvern! Catch!" She grabbed Glitterbug and gripped the kite as Wyvern supported Tom, slowing the fall with his flight—but Tom was twice Adrien's size, so it clearly wasn't easy. Glitterbug used her yoyo to pull them up and the kite glided down to the ground. Glitterbug had to admit her sister knew what she was doing.

"Tom! Kids!" Sabine ran out and hugged them all, "Where's Marinette?"

"Safe." Wyvern replied. He handed the kite to her, "Care to do the honors, Glitter."

She threw the kite in the air, "Miraculous Ladybug!" Everything returned to normal and Marinette even appeared in front of them, crushed into a hug by her parents,

"Oh, thank god."

OoOoO

"I gotta say, you make a good Cat Noir." Adrien said the next day on the couch. The two muggers had been found and arrested—and if Fireheart and Cat Noir went back and punched them harder and in more painful places, nobody could prove it—so Marinette was at more peace of mind, but she still didn't want to go out alone anymore, which was fine by everyone else. They hadn't really discussed the kwami swap yet.

"I know I do." Zoe flipped her hair dramatically, "But in all seriousness, we should start practicing like that more often, I noticed subtle differences, and it would be startling if a change like that was even more sudden."

"I noticed that too." Adrien agreed, "A bit less mobile, but I could fly."

"I felt like a feather." Evelyn said happily, "And it was amazing! I'd love to be Glitterbug again!" Roari pouted and she giggled, "But you aren't chopped liver, Roari." Roari nuzzled against her.

Marinette chuckled, "I wish I had seen it. But it was nice to take a break from akumas, I think I needed that this time. Maybe we can rotate? Four of us does make thing easier, and with Rena, Carapace and Queen Bee as backups."

"That sounds like a plan." Adrien sent a dirty look at Zoe, "Because you still need to fully heal, young lady."

"Shut up Aqua, I'm not done having adventures yet! I still need you kill Vanitas!"

Marinette narrowed her eyes, "Zoe, do you remember Storyteller? You are fucking Vanitas."

"Broken and insane?" She pursed her lips, "Yeah. Literally me." She sent Adrien a pointed look, "But I did not kill anyone! I even had a gun and didn't use it!"

"And for the sake of my health, I'm glad." Tom came in with croissants, which were gone in seconds—Zoe stuffed four in her bra before anyone could even react. That was the perk of having big tits, you could stuff shit in your bra and nobody notices. Evelyn looked down at her own small boobs and crossed her arms grumpily.

"Selfish bitch."

"Well, I'm a _hungry_ selfish bitch! So suck it." She took a big bite of the croissant. Plagg took a bite of cheese,

"Hey, maybe you are my true chosen! Hungry and selfish on the topic of food." Adrien just rolled his eyes,

"The world would end. You both would wipe out humanity because Taco Bell wasn't open." Nobody could deny that as Zoe pulled out her blowtorch. Maybe she shouldn't have the secondary power of death…too late. If she got akumatized, everyone would die unless Adrien got Taco Bell and chocolate.

Tom just laughed, "Ultimate Mecha Strike III."

Everyone looked to each other, "Fuck yeah."

 **A/N: Yeah, this one is very different from** _ **Weredad**_ **, so there aren't really any spoilers. LadyNoir, Glitterbug and (possibly) Wyvern won't show up often, but will for the canon kwami swap. I honestly kept this akuma so I could introduce this. Aspik and Mulmouse would be another opportunity for that.**

 **And the reason Zoe's eyes didn't turn green is because she was trained to have her own natural night vision, something not mentioned but is a trait about her—it is possible, Paula and I have done it.**

 **And here is a weird comparison, I am like Ladybug. I transform into a super author and then write an entire chapter of fanfiction. I have to use my confusing and faulty Lucky Charm to proof read it and make it decent. Then I run out of power and I detransform back into regular old me. And then my Author kwami, Cheeto, needs food. Unlike all the others, Cheeto needs reviews to recharge herself! So if you want another chapter ASAP, please feed Cheeto!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Okay, so the last chapter got dark, sorry about that. But this chapter is purely comedy.**

 **Chapter 10: A collection of fake funerals and a talk of fanfictions**

"So, we have ten days left of break." Chloe crossed her arms as she paced her huge room. They were all hanging out as Zoe and Adrien relished their last ten days living with the Dupain-Chengs. "What are we gonna do?"

Alya shrugged, and Zoe was on her laptop. "What're you doing?" Nino asked.

"Buying a coffin."

"Why?" Everyone had more worry in their tones than they would if they were asking literally _anyone_ else. If this weren't the bitch who killed Style Queen without mercy.

"Because I got a bunch of flammable and explosive things for Christmas, so Gabriel's screwed. But we could always play with it."

"Meaning?" Marinette crossed her arms, "How does one _play_ with a coffin?"

"Fake funerals, so we can practice our eulogies and learn how we do in closed spaces. There're seven of us, and the fandom says someone—cough Adrien cough—is gonna die, so practice, I guess."

"Sounds fun enough." Nino mused, "Will there be snacks like a true funeral."

"Of course. Have you not met me? And we all get a camera, so it can record our reactions inside it."

"I don't know…" Evelyn mused, and Zoe rolled her eyes.

"Evelyn, don't be the one game at Chuck E. Cheese that isn't broken." Evelyn smiled a bit, twirling a strand of her curly hair—that she usually straightened but hadn't bothered that day,

"Fine. When's the coffin getting here." There was a knock at the door and Butler Jean came in with a black coffin and wordlessly put it on the balcony. His expression screamed "I don't want to know."

Chloe turned to look at Zoe, "You knew we would say yes. And you aren't the psychic."

"No. But I am intuitive, not as much so as my sister, or Evelyn the literal psychic, but still."

Marinette threw her hands up, "Alright! But if we're doing this, we need to look dead and wear the clothes we plan to wear when we die."

"Not a problem." Zoe removed her hoodie and revealed she was wearing the same purple dress she had worn when she was almost killed by Hawk Moth, and it was still torn.

"Why do you still have that?" Nino asked.

"For a situation exactly like this, duh. And after Hawky sliced through the itchy shit, it's actually quite comfortable. I sleep in it." Marinette twitched and pulled out a needle and soft thread, restitching the dress without the itch.

"Why are you so _not_ afraid of the guy who will probably try killing you again?" Chloe facepalmed.

"Because I'm ready for it this time. And when has my will to live ever been anything other than questionable. I'm not suicidal, I'm alarmingly reckless and give no fucks."

Everyone just sighed.

And so, they all got makeup applied and they all looked dead. Adrien didn't like it, so Zoe was shuffling towards him slowly,

"Zombie! Back! Get away from me!"

Alya was pretending to film, "To all those who want insight into the relationship of the Agreste children, here it is."

"You look awful." Marinette said to Zoe.

"When was the last time you looked in a mirror?"

"Fuck you."

"I thought that was Adrien's job, because no offense, I don't swing that way."

Evelyn raised a sheepish hand, "I'm bisexual, so I guess I do." Everyone turned to her, before Zoe shrugged,

"Huh. Learn something new every day."

Evelyn smiled and looked at the coffin, "So…who's going first?"

"Well, who here has the power of bad luck?" She and Adrien raised their hands, and Zoe shoved Adrien in. It was to be open casket. He held up the video camera and put the blanket over himself.

"Alright, that's dealt with, who's gonna go first with eulogies?"

Zoe opened a random YouTuber book from Chloe's shelf and pretended to read from it, "Adrien Agreste. What can we say? We mourn him, because I don't know I single person who hates him and whoever does will be the next one in the coffin. You brought a lot of joy to us, buddy." Note how this was supposed to be heartfelt, but her tone was 100% sarcastic, "Sadly, he was killed by a bus. I always said that if something happened, I would throw him under the bus; this is not what I meant." She looked to Marinette, "Mari, what do you have to say?"

"Thank you for being my first real boyfriend, and first love…and you were great."

Adrien groaned, "Close it up, this is getting insulting. Wait, can I breathe in here?"

"I tried it," Evelyn said, "that will not be a problem." They closed the lid, "The safety word is Peaches, but you'll be in there for five minutes otherwise."

"Like _Ice Age 3_ for the safety word?"

"Yup."

…

Adrien sat in the coffin with the camera, "Huh. The lighting is pretty good. This would be good from social media if I had it. It isn't that bad in here." He squirmed and got comfy until the lid reopened.

…

"Okay, that wasn't too bad. Who's next?"

Zoe hopped in, "Fuck yeah."

Chloe took the Youtuber book, "We have been brought here to celebrate—I mean mourn—Zoe's death. Okay, I know it's mean, but I know at least ten people who either hate or are afraid of her, namely akumas, but that isn't important. Her last words: well, fuck. She also wanted me to tell a couple people on this list to go check her trap room to…um…go look for something."

Zoe laughed, "Bitch. And the trap thing is a very me thing to do. I'll list Hawk Moth, Gabriel, Mayura, Lila, Chloe from a year ago, and I'll have to think about some others." Everyone laughed as they closed it up.

…

Zoe chilled in the coffin, "This is really comfy, I could fall asleep in here. Would all my dreams take place in this coffin? No. That's not how dreams work." She thought about it, "When do bodies start decomposing if they're in a coffin? Because the worms need to get in, and this is a tight fit. If I was a worm, I wouldn't even dare."

…

They opened the coffin and it was Chloe's turn. Except it was so comfy that Chloe fell asleep in seconds, regardless of the sunlight. And she also slept like the dead, which was a problem, as Mayor Bourgeois came to tell them dinner was ready and came across this.

"Chloe! What happened?"

Adrien started with his speech, ignoring the mayor, hoping he'd realize this wasn't a real funeral.

"Chloe was my childhood and first friend, and I still wonder how she died. I am bad at speeches, so I'm just gonna say, I'll miss you Chlo. But I'm done with this not-a-speech." Suddenly, there were tons of servants and they were taking the now closed coffin away.

"Um…that's not good." Nino mused aloud. "But how did he not see her breathing?"

"Chloe sleeps like a log and is surprisingly silent." Evelyn suggested. Alya and Marinette looked to each other,

"So…what do we do?"

"Hold up," Zoe pulled out her phone, "I've got this. She still has my phone, and you know my ringtone for her. Give me Chloe's phone." Adrien handed her the phone and Zoe made a note to have Chloe password protect it. She called herself and she knew her vulgar ringtone started ringing. There were the sounds of shouting and thumping outside the room and five minutes later, a disoriented and annoyed Chloe was being coddled by her overjoyed and more than a little stupid father.

"Chloe my darling, I'm so glad you're alright!"

"I'm fine, Daddy. We were just playing around."

"Well tell me next time, I was so scared! But dinner's ready."

A huge ass thing of Taco Bell was brought up—like American Taco Bell, score! Thank you being in a television show where culture matters little.

The kids enjoyed themselves feasting on food. Adrien thought about more things to do,

"Okay, here's an activity. Think of a job each of us should not have under any circumstances. Starting with Zoe."

"An executioner." They all said in synch.

Zoe looked offended, "Why not?"

Adrien rolled his eyes, "Zo, there are many reasons. 1) You'd take too much pleasure in it. 2) You play with your prey. 3) You are already insane and letting you legally kill people is an awful idea. 4) Criminals on death row get a last meal of anything they want before their executions. If that meal was something you like, you'd execute them before they eat with no shame and would eat the food while being lectured by your boss."

Zoe crossed her arms while she ate a Dorito taco. "I would made an excellent executioner."

"And that's why you must never get the job." Alya said, "I like this, whose next?"

"Um...Adrien…you should never be a food critic." Nino said, "Because you aren't picky, but you hate fancy foods, and would still eat everything because you are deprived of it by your asshole father."

Adrien nodded in agreement, "Evelyn, you cannot be on be on game shows or anything involving guessing, because you're psychic and could cheat your way through, which, while helpful when winning, won't get you very far." Evelyn nodded,

"Okay. Mari, you should never be a reality TV star."

"Why not?" Everyone sent her a look that reminded her of the Troublemaker incident. "Oh."

"Right." Chloe crossed her arms and Zoe smirked, "Chloe, never be a housekeeper. You're too squeamish."

"Correct. Um…Nino…no offense, don't go into fashion. I have seen you wear socks and sandals, and that is simply unacceptable." Everyone nodded, and Adrien pretended to faint in horror at the fashion atrocity.

"What? I was late for school and just threw on what I could find."

Adrien sat up, "Bro…please…don't even think about such in offense again."

"Wow, you get triggered by that."

Zoe smacked him with a churro, before eating it, "Don't say that word! I thought I could escape it in this world!"

Nino laughed, and they turned to Alya, "What about you? What job should you never have?"

Zoe smirked, "National park ranger. No cell service, and no superheroes." Alya gasped and put a hand on her chest, "I would never!"

Butler Jean came in, "It's eleven, you should put a movie on and settle down."

"Thank you, Jean." Chloe said—that's right, she learned her Butler's name! They all cleaned up the food and snuggled up in their next of pillows and blankets by the television.

Evelyn hummed to herself, flipping through the many DVDs, "What shall we watch?"

Marinette looked over her shoulder, "We shouldn't watch anything creepy, so…Disney?"

Alya shrugged, "Tangled. Wait no, I found a Tangled fanfiction with our hero personas. Fireheart is Rapunzel and is Cat Noir's lost sister, Mother Gothel is Hawk Moth, Carapace, Rena and Queen Bee are Flynn without the romance, and Tigris is Pascal. Basically, she leaves to go see the lights on her own and runs into them on the way." **(A/N: That was a joke fan idea my cousin suggested to me and I can't not mention it.) "** If we watch Tangled, I'll have that stuck in my brain."

Zoe giggled, "I think I read that one. _Entangled Lives_ , right?"

"Yeah."

"Frozen?"

"Nope, there's a fanfiction about that too. Cat Noir is Anna and Fireheart is Elsa."

Marinette turned to her friends, "You two read _a lot_ of fanfiction."

Zoe threw her hands up in surrender, "Hey! I had very little better to do when I was on bedrest!"

Adrien sighed, "Okay…Little Shop of Horrors? It's not Disney, but it's a good movie."

"Okay, we'll do that."

They were supposed to be settling down, but they just ended up singing all of the songs and realizing that Zoe was basically the plant. Marinette joked she'd need to find a shirt that read FEED ME SEYMOUR for her. It was when the movie was over that they all settled down and fell asleep.

"What shall we do tomorrow?" Adrien asked.

Zoe yawned, "We'll see."

 **A/N: That chapter was just pure comedy, the next one might be as well, because I have no idea when the next episode will be. And remember to review and feed Cheeto!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: The almost date and secrets almost revealed**

"Okay, Operation Eloe is a go." Adrien smirked. Zoe had gone to the ice rink to clear her head because apparently that was her gift from Gabriel (Natalie) other than the therapy, a couple lessons, and only because she liked ice dancing was she doing it. Adrien knocked on Eli's door, turning up his earpiece so he could hear his friends, and a maid opened it,

"Hello, my sister is a friend on Eli's. She's at the ice rink and we were wondering if Eli wanted to join her."

The maid narrowed her eyes, "Adrien Agreste." She pursed her lips in a thin line, "Eli! Adrien's here, something about his sister."

Eli came down and Adrien noted there was a brace on his wrist, "Is Zoe missing? She's not here, if that's what you're asking." He put on a jacket and some boots, "I'll help you look, make sure she's safe."

Adrien smiled, his concern for Zoe's wellbeing just proved how perfect he was for her, "She's fine, at the ice rink. She's been a bit stressed out and we were wondering if you wanted to join her as a surprise. I have a photoshoot with Mari, otherwise I would do it."

Eli blinked, "You're giving me permission to be alone with your sister after the last time? I'm all for it, but I didn't see that coming."

"Zoe's a force to be reckoned with, it isn't smart to argue with her. I understand why, and she had a lot of fun. Go."

Eli looked to the maid, who nodded, "I'll inform your uncle."

"Thank you! I'll keep her safe." He ran off in the direction of the ice rink and Adrien fist bumped Evelyn. Marinette giggled,

"Blackberry is on his way."

OoOoO

Zoe didn't really use the lessons for lessons, she was just thinking while she glided across the ice, doing the occasional trick or jump.

" _Showy, I'm scared, what if I fall?" Eight-year-old Eden looked to her big sister, afraid as she stood in front of the ice rink._

" _I'll catch you, I promise." She held out her hand, "Here, take my hand, I won't let you go."_

 _Eden looked up with big puppy eyes, "Promise?"_

" _Promise." She skated onto the ice slowly as Eden clung to her arm, which made her mentally thank years of gymnastics and ballet that helped maintain her balance. "See, you're getting the hang of it."_

 _Eden opened her eyes and loosened her grip, "I-I am?"_

" _See? You're doing so well, hermanita." Eden stumbled and clung to her again, "Here's a tip, don't think about stopping or you fall."_

" _Thanks, Sissie."_

She was brought back to the present when the memory ended, and she realized she was not alone. She opened her eyes and came to the realization she had been ice dancing with Eli.

"Greetings, Princess." He grinned and spun her, "How're you doing?"

"I'm fine. A little homesick." She admitted, "My sister and I used to ice skate on the last day of break as a tradition. I just…miss her, you know?"

Eli shrugged, "I'm an only child and didn't have any friends back at home, so I don't understand, but I can sympathize."

She looked at his feet and noticed he clearly knew what he was doing, "When did you learn to skate."

"It's the curse of being related to rich people, you are forced to learn things you don't want to, only after hours of excruciating classes did I realize I liked it. I'll admit singing the _Yuri! On Ice_ theme song to myself helped that along."

"You watch that show?" She giggled as he nodded, "Favorite episode?"

"Episode 7."

"Least favorite episode?"

"Episode 7. It hit my emotions, so I love and hate it."

She laughed, "I think the entire fandom can relate."

He took her hands as he skated backwards, _"Can you hear my heartbeat?_

 _Tired of feeling I'm never enough_

 _I close my eyes and tell myself_

 _That my dreams will come true."_

Zoe grinned, _"There'll be no more darkness_

 _When you believe in yourself, you are unstoppable_

 _Where your destiny lies, dancing on the blades_

 _You set my heart on fire._

 _Don't stop us now, the moment of truth_

 _We were born to make history_

 _We'll make it happen, we'll turn it around_

 _Yes, we were born to make history."_ Eli picked her up and spun her, not faltering for a second.

Phillippe was gaping at them as they glided across the ice together with the skill and chemistry of partners. He remained silent when they got off the ice and removed the skates,

"Thanks." Zoe said to her 'instructor' "I had fun." Eli bit his bottom lip and tailed her,

"Hey, wanna go stop somewhere for lunch?"

Zoe blinked, "Are you asking me out?"

The way he blushed and began stuttering should have given her a clue, but it didn't, "Oh! Um…no…I-I meant just a Burger King or something, as friends. Do you really want to go to Gabriel's?"

She shook her head, "Nope. Let's go."

It was a longer walk because they didn't chase after each other in fun, lest someone get concussed from slipping on ice. The line wasn't very long, and Zoe again thanked her luck for being in a television show.

"What size fries do you want?" Eli asked. Zoe shrugged,

"Small."

"She'll have extra-large."

"Marry me."

Eli turned so fast he almost have himself whiplash, "What?"

Zoe realized what she had just said and played dumb, "What?"

The woman taking their order just blinked stupidly, unsure of what she just saw. But she gave them the order, so they sat and ate.

"Good news, my uncle's finally letting me go to the school with you!" Eli grinned.

"Congrats. But you're quite behind."

Eli rubbed the back of his neck, taking a bite of a fry, "Yeah. Could you come over and help me study?"

"What about your uncle?"

"He's at a meeting until tonight."

Zoe thought about it, and texted Adrien, "Okie. Let's go."

She enjoyed walking with him, it was peaceful and happy, and running from reporters was hilarious. But this time she lamented to him the stress of the upcoming finals that she did not want to do. He listened and made jokes. She didn't know why, but it was different from talking to Adrien.

The maid, who she now knew as Linda, opened the door and let them in. Eli unwrapped his scarf and took Zoe's grey jacket off her and put it on the coat rack.

"Come along, Princess." He led her to his room and only Eli noticed the knowing smirk of Linda. He opened his door and Zoe frowned. The room was completely white, with white walls, a white bed, white shelves, and a white desk. Scattered around the walls were drawings with a surprising amount of skill. Zoe looked around and found drawing of her, and there were multiple of the same one, with various notes in Eli's handwriting.

Not the right shade of blue. Hair isn't thick enough. Wrong smile. All extremely self-deprecating, something Zoe could relate to. But the drawings were really good. The last one that didn't have any notes was painted, and practically perfection. She looked like a princess.

"I paint when I'm stressed." Eli mused aloud, "I guess I just wanted to draw you."

Zoe smirked playfully, "Well I'm gorgeous. But have you ever heard of a fucking color scheme for this room? The drawings suggest you do."

"My uncle won't let me get anything. It's annoying when the sun is bright."

Zoe crossed her arms, "What is up with him? He doesn't seem to like you."

"He doesn't. My father named him legal guardian without him knowing. It was an unfortunate surprise. He's not the worst thing ever though."

"Then explain your wrist." She looked up. Eli bit his lower lip, a mannerism Zoe pinpointed would appear when he was nervous, and shrugged,

"Fell down the stairs. I tried to sneak to the fridge in the dark and tripped." That was something Zoe would do, and she had taken Adrien down with her the time it happened. But she still felt like it was a lie. But she couldn't force him to spill, and it could be the truth.

She shrugged, but made it clear she wasn't convinced, "Hm. Okay, what class do you struggle with? Obviously not art."

"History."

"Good. History's my jam." She moved to the book shelf and turned on a lamp while grabbing the hug ass textbook, "How about two hours of studying, then an episode of _Attack on Titan_? Then repeat with another subject."

"How'd you know?"

"I didn't. I just like that anime."

OoOoO

It was close to midnight, and Zoe had fallen asleep, talking in her sleep a little. It was cute, watching her curl up into a little shrimp and cuddle with the first solid thing, pillow or human being. She was still in her bluebell colored sweatshirt and navy jeans, but she had worked hard to help him get ready for school in the morning. Adrien was bringing her backpack to school with him.

He had put her to bed on his bed, studying a bit more on Ancient Egypt.

"Eli." Eli turned and saw Douglas looked between the sleeping Zoe and Eli himself, "Come here." Eli bit his lip and walked out,

"Yes, sir?"

"What is the girl doing here? Did you get information out of her?"

"She admitted to suspecting the connection, but she knows very little about Mrs. Agreste."

Douglas nodded and looked to where Zoe was sleeping, "Then she's useless. But you're lying to me, she knows more. Why are you so afraid? I know you're in love with her, regardless of what you say, but shouldn't she of all people want Hawk Moth behind bars." He pretended to be shocked, "Wait, you haven't told her."

Eli winced, "I-I think she likes me. Just give me a little more time."

Douglas looked him up and down, "Likes you? Please, Eli, that's demented. This is why you never should have been the one to do this, a dumb teenage boy. This whole romance that you've invented just proves you're too naïve to do this." He put a hand on Eli's shoulder, gripping too tightly too close to the stairs for comfort, "Why would that model like you? Look at you, you think that she's impressed?"

"She's not like that." Eli snapped, keeping his voice low even though he had shut the door.

Douglas glared, "Fine, if you're so sure, go ahead and show her this." He held up an all too familiar silver amulet of a blue jay, "Give it to her, watch, you'll see! Trust me," he snapped his fingers, "that's how fast she'll leave you. And it's useless to hide it, because someone like you can't keep that secret for long. So, if she's such a dreamboat, go and put her to the test."

Eli held the amulet, "She's my friend. She'll understand…" he didn't notice Douglas leave as he walked back to the bed, "She'll understand." But looking at her, fast asleep, smiling a tiny bit, he couldn't bear the idea that she would associate him with someone who was using her—which is what Douglas wanted, but not what Eli himself wanted—and hate him. What if Douglas was right? He sighed and stuffed the amulet in his desk drawer.

"She can't hate me."

OoOoO

Zoe woke up and found herself in Eli's bed, with Eli himself sleeping by the windowsill. It was six in the morning. She stretched and went to wake him up, only she noticed there were tear tracks on his cheeks. Why had he been crying? She shook his shoulder,

"Eli? You okay?"

Eli opened his eyes and blinked a couple times, registering who he was looking at. He nodded, "Stubbed my baby toe, it hurt like a motherfucker, but I didn't want to wake anyone up. So, I cried instead of screamed." Zoe didn't know how to respond to that, because that was entirely possible, but something didn't seem right about it.

"Well…okay then…what's for breakfast?"

Eli shrugged as they walked downstairs, "Don't know." Linda had left, and she wasn't the cook. And there was a note from Douglas that the cook was taking a sick day. Zoe shrugged and started digging through the pantry until there was cake batter in the waffle iron.

"What're you doing?" Eli looked at the cake batter waffle, then grinned, "Didn't your Dad do this?"

"Yup. And they're portable. My Dad's name was Kelly by the way."

Eli dug into the waffle while Zoe's finished cooking her own. By then it was time to go.

"Got all your shit?"

Eli frantically scrambled with the waffle in his mouth, grabbing all the books, putting on his black-rimmed reading glasses—which was an interesting discovery, that he technically needed them all the time, but only used them for reading, because he claimed to be too clumsy to not break them; Zoe had forced him to put them on, insisting he wouldn't fall if he could see.

"Got it. Let's go!"

The walk wasn't long, and when the got there, they saw Adrien, holding Zoe's backpack, grinning like an idiot—yet was somehow still adorable.

"How was your sleepover?" Evelyn taunted, earning a blush from both teens. Lila walked down from her seat, taking advantage of the attractive new guy supposedly only knowing the girl who had been in a coma when she was revealed.

"Hello. I'm Lila."

"Lila, get away from him." Chloe said, crossing her arms, "He doesn't need to hear your lies."

Eli, to Zoe's shock since they had been together at the party, hid behind her a bit—even though he was much taller than her, but the gesture was no missed. Adrien pulled him out from behind her,

"Eli, it's okay. Lila just lies, she's all you need to worry about."

Lila stomped her foot, "Liar?! Would I be lying if I said that Evelyn is really Eden Imelda, Zoe's younger sister?" Everyone looked between Evelyn and Zoe, who both shook their heads.

"Already warned Zoe about that." Evelyn said hesitantly, "How you know her sister's name is a mystery, but Eden Imelda died a long time ago." Zoe winced, but she didn't deny it.

Lila glared, "One day Eden Imelda, I will expose you for the liar you are!"

"You can try."

Lila stormed off and Zoe made a note to check for akumas throughout the day. She turned to Eli, "Don't mind her, she wants revenge on Evelyn for exposing her and is using my younger sister to do it, though I do wonder about the name thing."

"Google?" Zoe shrugged as Miss Bustier came in, she looked at everyone, until she settled on Eli.

"Eli Sommers?"

"That's me."

"You can sit in the back next to Ivan." Eli turned to move, when Adrien raised his hand, nodding to Nino.

"Miss, Eli obviously has trouble seeing, as proven by his glasses. Nino only has a lazy eye, and we don't want to evict Zoe from her seat. How about we sit in the back and Eli and Zoe sit together in the front?"

Miss Bustier looked between Eli and Zoe, "Is that alright?"

"Sure." Zoe shrugged, sending Adrien a dirty look, understanding what he was doing, "Okay." They both sat down, and class began.

Adrien was going to pay, in the most playful way possible.

 **A/N: One more filler chapter, then we get to akumas. The reason I don't create my own to pass the time is because Paula needs all the ones I come up with for her story** _ **The Next Generation**_ **, and you all should remember Storyteller. I'd only do it if I end up skipping an akuma.**

 **This chapter was mainly about Eli and Zoe's relationship, though I did have Lila try revealing Eden—which, for the record, wasn't a big deal because nobody believed her, and it wasn't the first time.**

 **The next chapter is the first day back at the Agreste Mansion. It won't be dark, I promise.**

 **And please be kind when reviewing, I've had to delete some brutal or downright mean ones and it's getting to the point I'm debating a hiatus. But Cheeto needs food, so please do review.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: The first night back (including the world's most awkward dinner)**

"Bye Eli!" Zoe waved goodbye, then grabbed Adrien by the collar of his shirt—his new outfit was a cheaper version of the old one, only a black button-down shirt with a Cat Noir paw print, white undershirt, and a green belt with black sneakers—and dragged him away from his girlfriend.

"Okay Adrien, you had your fun. And now you'll pay." She pulled his down and dug her knuckles into his hair,

"Zoe! You're gonna scalp me!" She released him from her iron grip and they laughed, all her anger melting away as she realized she did like sitting with Eli. He was a good student, but they did giggle and pass notes to each other, namely because they both knew most of the material already and finished the homework early on.

They saw Gorilla waiting patiently for them, and they got in reluctantly. If only Gorilla could stay with them—maybe he could—when they got Gabriel and possibly Natalie arrested. Volpina hadn't come back yet, but they were still on the lookout.

"Hey G." Zoe said, "How's life?" Gorilla just grunted in response. Zoe wondered why he didn't talk but decided not to ask about it. Though she did ask Adrien, not getting a different answer.

They got to the mansion and were immediately given schedules of things to do from Natalie. Zoe looked her dead in the eye to the point the assistant flinched, took the schedules, and stuck them in the trash. She wasn't going to even pretend anymore, and maybe Gabriel would try killing her again, so they could go back to the Dupain-Chengs, and if it continued like that, then the police would figure it out and BOOM! Problem solved.

Still, she wanted to get her own revenge for fun first. Natalie went off to do something—get away from Zoe—and Zoe went into Gabriel's office, leaving the door open and spraying ink on the security camera. Gabriel wasn't there, probably in the lair or the CCR, so she took his phone and a memory file of the Miraculous book, and wiped off the ink, walking out.

"What was that for?" Adrien asked as they entered Zoe's weapon closet/bunker, only he and she herself had the password or handprint access. Zoe set up her deep fryer, microwave and waffle iron. Then she started getting out oil, eggs, and flour. Adrien's eyes widened, "What are you doing?" Zoe silently covered both the electronic devices in the eggs and flour as the deep fryer heated up, then stuck them in, "ZOE!"

"Relax. It won't explode, and the phone will still work after this, but that hard-drive will most certainly not."

Adrien looked at the bubbling phone, "Okay…why are you doing this?"

"We're having chicken tenders for dinner, take a hint." He facepalmed,

"You're swapping his food for deep fried shit."

"Yup." The phone was finished, followed by the hard-drive, which she stuck in a bag. Then came the barbie.

"I have a bad feeling about this." He microwaved some popcorn and watched the barbie melt and bend in all sorts of angles until her head came off.

"Oh, gross." Zoe cackled like a mad scientist, "Mwahahaha! Because it looks like a McDonalds chicken nugget." It really did.

"Didn't they find blue plastic in those?"

"Exactly." She looked around as Adrien sat on the countertop and did his math homework, "What else should I deep fry?" She looked to her jars of poisons before opting against that. She shrugged, "Well, dinner's ready." She held it up and Adrien coughed,

"That will kill someone, oh god…"

"Well…" she looked down at it, "Good."

OoOoO

Adrien and Zoe got to the dining room early, and Zoe swapped Gabriel's chicken for her 'chicken'. There was also salad, that Zoe was not going to eat lest it be poisoned. She was immune to most poisons—thank you Dad—but that did not mean she wanted to get poisoned all willy nilly.

Gabriel came in and sat down, not noticing the imposter chicken. Adrien decided to start up conversation,

"Father," she could tell from his expression that calling him 'father' felt foreign and left a bad taste in his mouth, "Did you hear that Mr. Dupain got akumatized while we were in his care? It was real strange, like all fairy tale themed."

"Yeah." Zoe added on, "I think Hawky must be getting desperate, right Gabe?"

Gabriel gave her a subtly furious look, "I'd imaging Hawk Moth has a lot on his plate. With the power he possesses and the constant civilian annoyance of you, Zoe, it's understandable he's exploring his options. Be careful, my ward, because he could attack you at any time." He rolled his eyes, "And if anyone's making questionable choices, look at Ladybug's suit."

"Adrien, leave it." Zoe murmured quietly, but Adrien would not let it go, as nobody insulted his girlfriend. She put a hand on his under the table and decided to retaliate before he got himself on Gabriel's shit list, while she was already so deep on that list there was no turning back. "In terms of costume, as Fireheart said previously, Hawk Moth certainly made the poorer choice and worse, inflicted that ugliness upon others. Remember when you were akumatized into the Collector? It was hideous, you should be ready to murder him."

Gabriel narrowed his eyes, "Don't remind me. But if you were Hawk Moth's ward, he'd be entitled to ground you. Likewise, I can only imagine the stress of having a girl like Fireheart for a ward. Constantly sneaking out, sassing everyone, refusing to give up that Miraculous of hers so Hawk Moth would leave Paris alone and everything could—theoretically of course—go back to normal. She and the other heroes are prolonging an easily solved situation and being nothing but ungrateful as she does."

Zoe glared, crossing her arms challengingly, "Well thank god I'm _not_ Hawk Moth's ward. I can only imagine how a person like that would treat children of his own. Like never having time for them, eschewing important school events, purposefully releasing akumas in close proximity to them with no regard for their safety? He'd be an appalling parent, no question. I'd bet the children are planning to emancipate themselves the second the eldest is old enough."

"It's so nice to have the family together for dinner." Adrien said quietly to prevent things from becoming violent. They both sighed, and Zoe took a bite of chicken while Gabriel coughed and spit out his,

"Wha…what is this?" Gabriel asked, taking it apart and finding his hard-drive and phone, then realizing he had eaten a chunk of deep fried barbie, "Zoe. What did you do?"

"That's for doing nothing when Hawk Moth tried to kill me, asshole."

"I was in a meeting, I couldn't do anything about it! That's my phone and hard-drive!"

"Oh I'm sorry, I guess easily replaceable things and meetings with snobby old rich guys are more important than the LIFE, HAPPINESS AND SAFETY OF THE CHILDREN IN YOUR CARE! YOU'RE NO BETTER THAN HAWK MOTH!"

"Go to your room!"

"Fine!" She stormed off, taking the real chicken with her. She pulled out a book and read quietly, waiting for him to come give her the real lecture. She held no fear and put on her flash holster with a gun, plus a knife at her hip.

Gabriel came in maybe an hour later, "Look, I thank you for not telling Adrien, but you really could solve all of this if you just give me their Miraculous. Then we could all be family and I won't need to kill you."

"You are aware there is a price to getting Emilie back, right?" She looked up from her book, "And myself and the rest of the fandom are very sure it's Adrien. So, if you plan to kill yourself to do it, I'll gladly give it over, but not unless." She did not point out is could also be Marinette/Ladybug—because that would get him excited.

Gabriel shook his head, "Adrien's safe. I love him."

"I'm sure you did." She muttered sarcastically, turning back to her book.

He glared, "I want him to be happy."

"At one point in time, sure."

"I've given him everything."

"Debatable."

"I bled for him!"

"Well, I stabbed you. How's the elbow, by the way?" Gabriel looked to his casted arm and he looked at her with such an expression to make a sane person scream for their mommy, Zoe didn't even blink, let alone flinch.

"I fought for him during the Heroes' Day!"

Zoe snapped the book shut, "Now that's a flat out lie."

"No, it's not."

"Yeah, it really is."

"No, it's an alternative fact."

Zoe paused, "Um…did Natalie tell you to say that?" She stood up, "Listen, here is how your parenting goes." In a voice impersonating Gabriel, "My son wants to leave my estate's grounds and make friends? Well it looks like the only thing to do is…trap him inside despite the fact I may be mentally and physically killing him." She laughed a little, back in her normal voice, "And they say _I'm_ the crazy one." She put her hands on her hips, "And you protecting Adrien is utter horseshit. Let me give some examples.

Riposte:I'm going to cut Adrien into tiny pieces.

You: Have fun.

Gorizilla: I'm gonna drop your kid off a building.

You: Not my initial plan, but I suppose go for it, I guess.

Like half of the akumas: I'm attacking the area your son in literally in right now.

You: Alright, chill, lemme know how it goes.

Style Queen: I'm going to kill your son and ward.

You: Cool. Go ahead." Her voice raised in volume and went up an octave with each example, "Emilie wouldn't want to come back if she knew what you were doing!"

"How dare you?!" Gabriel went to punch her, but she dove out of the way and he fell onto the bed, standing up,

"I tried to be nice. But I'm tired of your arrogance. Bow to me!"

"No matter how the winds howls, the mountain cannot bow to it."

"Must you talk in riddles!?" He asked incredulously, earning a smirk from her,

"Maybe you aren't as intelligent as you think, Hawky."

Gabriel stormed off, "Sleep with one eye open!"

Zoe nodded, "Don't worry. I will." Adrien came in a moment later, handing her the Dragon Miraculous as promised, because she was recovered enough now. Blazze emerged.

"Zo? Are you okay?"

"I'm great. Just irritated Gabe like usual. But he says to sleep with one eye open, so do you mind, Blazze?"

"Not at all."

"Gabriel's furious." Adrien said, "I think he'd lock you in a dungeon if he could." he chuckled, "But he ranted about the phone and hard-drive for an hour. It was hilarious."

"He might lock me up. Not that I'll be there long. I'll just sleep in the weapon closet as a worst-case scenario."

Adrien hugged her, "Just be careful. I don't think my heart could take it if you were in the hospital again."

"I won't be. Gabe's decided to play a game of cat and mouse, only he forgot who the cat was."

OoOoO

Harrison stared out the window of his solitary confinement. How long had he been here? He lost count. Trapped off the grid by the government while his precious son was used like a slave. Reports on the only light left in his light was his only relief from the worry, guilt and pain.

The guard came in and gave him a tuna sandwich and pudding,

"My son?"

The lieutenant came in as the nameless guard left, "Your son is well. Quite disobedient though, he seems to have fallen in love with one of the victims and is reluctant to finish the job."

"Tell him I am also well and miss him very much." Harrison sighed, sitting on his rock-hard cot.

"Of course, Mr. Sommers." The iron door bolted shut and Harrison turned back to the window. He'd give anything to see his baby boy again.

"Eli, please be safe."

 **A/N: And the mystery of Eli continues. And don't worry, when—and it is when, not if—Gabriel tries to kill Zoe again, it won't be as dark as the first time.**

 **And I lied, there probably will be another filler chapter, this one about Eden, because I hear the next episodes are in February, and I thought it would be in a week or so.**

 **And make sure to review (kindly)!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Zoe's POV is funny and Eden's is a bit depressing.**

 **Chapter 13: Practically perfect pranks, unknowing sisterly bonding time and almost assassination attempt (and one prank that was accidentally real)**

"Adrien, I need you to sing this for your second ringtone." They had gotten Adrien a work phone—the one with Gabe on it—and a normal phone for life, and this was the ringtone for the work phone.

"Sure, what?" Zoe handed him the lyrics and he bit his tongue to hold back laughter. She had given him voice lessons, so he actually had a really good voice, hence why she had him sing it.

" _I'm practically perfect in every way,_

 _Practically Perfect,_

 _So people say,_

 _Each virtue virtually knows no bound,_

 _Each trait is great and patently sound,_

 _I'm practically perfect from head to toe,_

 _If I had a fault it would never dare to show,_

 _I'm so practically perfect in every way,_

 _Both prim and proper and never to stern,_

 _Well educated, yet willing to learn,_

 _I'm clean and honest, my manner refined,_

 _And I wear shoes of the sensible kind,_

 _I suffer no nonsense and whilst I remain,_

 _There's nothing else I feel I need explain,_

 _I'm practically perfect in every way,_

 _Practically perfect that's my forte,_

 _Uncanny people are hard to find,_

 _Unique yet meek unspeakably kind,_

 _I'm practically perfect not slightly soiled,_

 _Running like an engine, that's just been freshly oiled,_

 _I'm so practically perfect in every way."_ He looked up, "Good?"

"Practically perfect."

"Why is Adrien singing a song about himself?" Natalie asked wearily.

"Ringtone." Zoe said simply, playing it back, "I don't even need to autotune it." Natalie just sighed and left them with some spaghetti, and almost ran when Zoe attacked her fork to a power drill as a life hack. They'd stopped having dinner with Gabriel because of obvious reasons.

"Adrien, I need a favor."

"Sure, why?

Zoe put a cup in her microwave and covered it in whipped cream, handing it to him, "Give this to Gabe."

"What did you do to it?"

"Nothing," Zoe said innocently, "It's chocolate, whipped cream, five sleeping pills, and some cinnamon. Let me give you a straw, good to suck up all the horse tranquilizers." Adrien's eyes widened, and he looked at the hot cocoa of death,

"This will kill someone."

"Nah. But he'll be out for a while. And this would be a hilarious way to die with what I plan to do." The expression Adrien had was priceless, so Zoe smirked, "I'll show you when we do it. You get to help me."

OoOoO

Zoe snuck into an asleep Gabriel's room with Adrien.

"You put the dress on, I do the makeup."

And so, Adrien changed his father out of his pajamas and into a butterfly dress, while Zoe did sparkly makeup and tied the designer's surprisingly crazy hair into twin buns on the top of his head with a butterfly hairband. She snapped a picture and giggled, before getting a devious plan and having Adrien put a bra on him and put tiny pillows in it,

"He's gonna kill me." He looked like a drag queen.

"He already wants you dead," Adrien whispered, "This is just the icing on the cake."

"And this will live in my camera roll forever."

"Text it to me."

"Already done."

OoOoO

Gabriel woke up and felt…weird…but also wasted…he walked downstairs, all the servants—that they did have but were never around, but it was cleaning day—and Natalie's eyes widened upon seeing him.

"Natalie, get me my coffee."

"Sir? Look in the mirror." Gabriel turned and…

"ZOE, I'LL KILL YOU!" He checked his phone and saw a text from her,

 **Z:** Like your new makeover? Zoe Agreste Special. I also do dead makeup.

There was a picture of Adrien looking dead as hell.

 **G:** I hate you. The cleaning ladies were here and saw me before I did.

 **Z:** Yup. I know. Adrien didn't even know I spiked the cocoa until he saw the pic I sent him. It's noon by the way. You're welcome.

Gabriel growled. He had to get a hitman on this girl before she really did turn him into a girl.

OoOoO

Eden was in a bit of a dark place. The downside of being bipolar. It was genetic from her maternal grandmother, like depression on their father's side. So, she was feeling really sad, depressed and somewhat borderline suicidal. Zoe had used to be able to help her through the pain and darkness, but she didn't know her identity and she was too scared to bring it up.

Which led to now, every painful memory coming back to the surface. She set of her station, and began to sing,

" _Two a.m., where do I begin?_

 _Crying off my face again…_

 _The silent sound of loneliness_

 _Wants to follow me to bed_

 _I'm a ghost of a girl_

 _That I want to be most_

 _I'm the shell of a girl_

 _That I used to know well_

 _Dancing slowly in an empty room_

 _Can the lonely take the place of you?_

 _I sing myself a quiet lullaby_

 _Let you go and let the lonely in_

 _To take my heart again."_ A crowd started forming as tears formed in her eyes,

" _Broken pieces of_

 _A barely breathing story_

 _Where there once was love_

 _Now there's only me_

 _And the lonely_

 _Dancing slowly in an empty room_

 _Can the lonely take the place of you?_

 _I sing myself a quiet lullaby_

 _Let you go and let the lonely in_

 _To take my heart again…"_ She didn't realize she was crying until she felt warm arms around her small form.

"Evelyn?" She looked up and saw Zoe and Adrien looking at her, "You okay?" She nodded, then shook her head, crying, leaning into her sister's warmth.

"Shhh…Let's get you somewhere private." They took her back to the bakery and into her room and Eden just sat quietly, ignoring the fact she had gotten 400 euros for her efforts.

Zoe gave her some water, "Are you okay?" Eden nodded, feeling much better. Her dark moments never lasted long.

"Sorry, I'm a bit bipolar."

Zoe turned to Adrien, "Kitty, head home, I'll handle this." Adrien nodded and kissed Marinette goodbye as he walked out the door.

She turned back to Eden, "I'll be here if you need to talk."

Eden sighed, "It's just…ever since my big sister vanished, it's been hard to handle."

"Your sister?"

"Yeah. I was in the bathroom, and when I got out, everything was in disarray, and she was nowhere to be found. She got announced dead three months later."

Zoe frowned deeply, "I'm sorry. But I bet she would have come home if she could have. She still loves you." Eden hugged her, "Thank you Showy." Zoe looked down, "What did you just call me?"

She panicked as she realized her error, "Zoe. Why?"

"Nothing." She checked her phone, "Shit, got to go. You're good, right?" Eden nodded,

"Thanks for listening."

Zoe smiled, "No problem."

…

Zoe walked home by herself when her female sixth sense kicked in, meaning danger. She walked into a dark alley and spun around, grabbing the guy behind her by the neck and grabbed the knife from him, pointing it at his head.

"Who the fuck are you?" He tried going for her again, but she grabbed pepper spray and sprayed him.

"AHHH!" He clutched his eyes, "I give! I give! I give! Jesus, I was told it would be easy!" Zoe crossed her arms, spinning the knife threateningly,

"Who. Are. You. Did Hawk Moth send you?"

"Yes! I have a family and he said he'd pay me a hundred thousand euros to take out a model. Wasn't supposed to be hard. Just kill you and carve the Hawk Moth symbol into your arm." Damn. That was like a serial killer.

"How about you leave me the fuck alone and I pay you five thousand and not hurt you?"

"Deal." She gave him a check, but he still was blinded. "We're good, right? This never happened."

"Unless you try killing me again. Then I won't be so kind."

"Gladly." He stumbled away, and Zoe knew she needed to get revenge on Gabriel…

OoOoO

Zoe got home with her box.

"Gabe! I'm home! And I have a gift for you!" Gabriel came out with the makeup still smeared on his face,

"This better not be a bomb."

"It's not. I promise." Gabriel opened the box as Adrien came down, and all three froze in horror.

"Um…that wasn't supposed to be real. Oh my fuck…" Gabriel put his hands in and held up a very _real_ baby. There was a note attached to him, reading:

FUCK YOU GABE, HERE'S A BABY FOR YOU TO NOT TAKE CARE OF.

"Well…Adrien…meet Felix, your new brother."

"Where's the receipt?" Gabriel asked, "Please tell me you just rented this."

"No. I thought I was buying a realistic doll under your name. Though that explains the odd looks when I asked for it in a box. But he was so quiet, I really thought it was a doll."

Adrien frowned, "Well…I get to be a brother?" He took the blonde baby from his father and looked into the child's blue-grey eyes, "Hi. I'm your big brother."

"Natalie, please go baby shopping." Gabriel ordered of his assistant, "Zoe would create a weapon nursery." He wasn't wrong.

"Adrien, you're practically perfect, so since your Dad's an ass disguised as a man, you're the hip father."

"I'm right here!"

"I know. I'd never say something I wouldn't say to your face."

"So how old is he?"

"Six months. So he crawls and has started teething. I really thought the ladies were just too invested in their toy store jobs."

"The fact you mistook a baby for a doll just _proves_ you should never be a mother."

Zoe looked up at him, "For once, Gabe, I completely agree with you."

OoOoO

"Aw! He's so cute!" Alya squealed, looking at Felix cooing in his bassinet, wearing a cat onesie, with a dragon and ladybug stuffed animal.

"I honestly wondered if you had had a baby." Chloe said to Zoe, "Then I realized you would have had to be pregnant."

"I had him tubed at two months. Do we have that technology?" She looked at Felix, "He is cute though. I honestly wanted to give Gabe a scary ass doll as a prank, this went very wrong, but at least he isn't scary."

"I wonder if he'll be like the PV." Plagg said, hovering over the child that grabbed for him.

"He has Gabriel as a father, and a ton of aunts and uncles, he'll be good. I'll teach him like my father taught me."

"So…we're all gonna die?" Marinette asked, picking up the baby.

"Yup."

"Oh my god," Adrien suddenly got excited, "We should take him to the park and see how all the people react." Felix began crying,

"Me." Zoe muttered under her breath with a laugh as Adrien panicked and fed him, then changed him. Adrien Agreste would be the best father ever, panicking over his accidental brother.

"Wait," Chloe said, "You guys should get disguised, so the press isn't on you. Do you have anything?"

"Hi, my name is Zoe, I have a box of wigs." She pulled her surprisingly big box of disguises out of the closet. She pulled out a brown wig and put it on Adrien with some Clark Kent glasses and blue contacts. She herself put on a blonde wig and green contacts. They looked like genderswaps of the other plus glasses.

Nino pulled out the baby carrying thing—it was probably called a car seat—and put Felix in it.

Evelyn facepalmed, "This baby is gonna fricking die in a week."

"Please tell me you aren't predicting the future, I already love him and want to teach him how to be a happy person like I was not." Adrien sent her a pleading look and Chloe backed up.

"That got dark."

"Gabe hasn't eaten the baby yet, so I call it a win." Zoe said, flipping her blonde hair.

Marinette groaned, "Okay. Let's take this baby to the park. If there is an akuma, I swear to god…"

"Agreed." Zoe said, "Okay, we need aliases. Adrien…you're Bryce Papenbrook, because that's your English voice actor, and even though your hair's a complete mop with that wig, close enough. I'll be Claudia Mitchells, because that's my alias."

Evelyn sighed, "We're doomed. Call Eli, he needs to see this."

"You want someone else to witness this?" Alya asked.

"I want to see his reaction. And I think he can protect from the haters. Human shield. He's the father and Zoe's the mother."

Zoe glared, "Fuck you guys."

 **A/N: Next chapter is tending a baby for a day. Last filler chapter for real this time. And yes, I added Felix, fight me. And Eden is bipolar, something that will come up again. And make sure to review and feed Cheeto!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: A day of the teens being parents (aka Eli babysitting everyone) and a big reveal**

Adrien pushed Felix in the stroller to the park on the far end of town—not the one by the bakery, a different one. The baby just pouted at first, but eventually started enjoying himself and seemed to understand his siblings' humor.

"He looks like he sees death." Zoe said, "Is he a physic?" Felix was playing with her phone and turned on music, "He likes Spotify, it seems." She took the phone from him before he turned on _Fuck you_ , "No, baby."

"I'm a mommy jogger." Adrien said cheerfully, "Like a vlogger, but a jogger."

Evelyn put some puffs on Felix's tray, "There's a whole treasure chest of food awaiting you."

"Thar sounds great." Zoe said, "Can I be a baby?"

They made it to the park and Adrien had a skip in his step.

"I think I'm good at being a mom."

Alya saw a merry-go-round and turned to Nino, "Someone's spinning us in that."

Marinette facepalmed, "This is for the baby, not for you big babies—oh my god, an ice cream truck."

They ordered ice cream, and a cotton candy one for Felix. Zoe and Adrien got sea salt ice cream while the rest got flavors associated with their superhero identities.

Felix stuffed the ice cream in his face and Zoe looked around, "There's a lot of kids here, I don't want them to feel bad because our baby brother's the best." The baby cooed in response with a face full of ice cream.

"Put him on the monkey bars." Chloe said happily.

"I think the stroller's smarter." They all turned and saw Eli leaning by the tree. He walked over and took the platinum blonde baby from the stroller.

"He's cute." Felix giggled and grabbed Eli's glasses, earning a groan from the young man.

"Princess, this is why I don't wear my glasses."

"But you don't fall as often. I don't see any more injuries." Felix started chewing on the glasses and Zoe took them, putting them back on Eli's face. He blushed, but Zoe didn't notice, turning back to the baby. Eli set him down and Felix slowly crawled to Adrien.

Zoe turned and saw Alya, Nino, Evelyn and Chloe getting in the merry-go-round.

"Oh god, oh no… I love having seven kids." Eli laughed as all the others got in, but nobody was spinning it, "I hate to encourage this, but I feel you should sit in the center with them." Eli rolled his eyes and got in, Felix was on Adrien's lap, "One…two…"

Evelyn laughed, "You just throw out your back and throw up."

"Fuck you." Adrien gasped and made a show of covering Felix's ears.

"Claudia!"

Zoe huffed, "Fine." She spun them, showing surprising strength for someone so small. She managed to put some speed on a toy full of eight teens and a baby.

They got off and walked to the playground climber, where Adrien got on the tightrope,

"Is my brother watching?"

Chloe smiled, "Nobody's watching"

"The girl filming you is watching." Evelyn was referring to Zoe, who was making a home movie like her Dad used to.

Alya looked away from Eli helping the baby walk and looked to her friends, "Everyone else is calling the cops."

Adrien jumped down and walked to his brother, "Satan, do you think he can do swings?"

"Probably. There are baby swings." She looked to Eli, "Somehow Eli is fathering your brother while we dick around." Eli had put Felix back in the stroller and was cleaning the ice cream off his face. He turned to them,

"What? I did babysitting back in New York. This isn't my first rodeo."

"Not that I'm complaining, but who called you here? I know we planned to, but who actually did it?" Marinette asked.

"Nobody. I was walking to clear my head and suddenly I see all of you walking to the playground, though I had to do a double take with the models, I would have been fooled if I hadn't heard both your voices. Then I saw the baby and had to investigate." He took Felix out of the stroller and passed him to Adrien, "What's his name?"

"Felix." Zoe explained, there were more reasons behind her name other than the PV, "He was named Felix because it means happy or lucky in Latin. Maybe he won't be depressed and broken like sunshine here." she gestured to Adrien, "Because he will be taken care of, loved, and allowed to be free and not the embodiment of Rapunzel." She crossed her arms, "I still think Gabe will chain you up _Tangled_ style someday."

"That bad?" Eli bit his lip, something that didn't go unnoticed. Zoe shrugged in response,

"He's a dick. He's gonna tag team it with Hawky one day to kill me." She showed him what she had done with the drag queen thing.

"I don't think so." Eli said, "Especially with the fact Hawk Moth has Mrs. Agreste for some reason, so unless I'm missing something, it's unlikely." Everyone's eyes widened, and he clarified,

"You weren't super quiet when we were in the waiting room when Zoe was in the hospital. I heard everything. I won't tell, I trust your judgement to keep it secret."

Adrien sighed in relief, "Welcome to the club, I guess." He looked down at a very confused Felix, "Come on, Fe, let's go to the swings."

"Fe?"

"My nickname for him."

"I'll call him Beastie." Zoe said, earning a chuckle from Evelyn,

" _Maleficent_ reference?"

"Correct."

Marinette set Felix in the swing and pushed it, earning squeals of delight from the small child. Zoe got in one of the bigger swings and Eli pushed her. Alya and Nino copied them. Adrien just took pictures and Evelyn laughed.

"We really are just big babies."

"Wanna go for ice cream after this?" Zoe asked, "I could go for more."

Chloe's eyes widened from where she was sitting on a bench posting stuff on social media—saying Bryce and Claudia, not Adrien and Zoe—"It's February!"

"The sea salt trio ate ice cream every single day for a year straight, so don't give me that."

Adrien sighed, "It's pointless arguing with you. Let's go when we're done. Wanna join us, Eli?"

Eli thought about it, "I have nothing better to do. Would you all catch me up to speed with the Hawk Moth thing?"

Zoe shrugged, "Sure." Marinette took Felix out of the swing and set him down, where he crawled to Eli and started hitting his leg. Eli picked him up, only to get his glasses snatched and chewed on. Zoe gave a hearty laugh,

"Damn. Your glasses must be tasty." Eli handed Felix to Nino, and his glasses were untouched. He narrowed his eyes,

"Are mine just covered in baby catnip?"

"Babynip?"

Adrien looked at his brother, reaching for Eli, "I don't know if he loves you, or the baby drugs on your glasses."

"When did drugs end up on my glasses?!" Eli put his glasses in his backpack, "Screw it. I'm done with that. Ice cream?"

They walked to an ice cream parlor, and Adrien fed Felix ice cream and fussed over him with everyone else.

Zoe narrowed her eyes, "How are you feeling?" she asked Eli.

"Okay."

She looked to him, "What's that like?"

Eli shrugged and held out his chocolate milkshake, "Wanna sip?"

"...Is there poison in it?"

He paused, "Yes." Zoe opened her mouth and took a sip of it, sharing her cookie dough ice cream. She glared when Evelyn took a picture.

"Remind me how you two ended up with him."

"Tried to play a prank on Gabe and it went south."

"And…what about Hawk Moth?"

Zoe paused. She wanted to tell him, he was trustworthy. She gestured for him to wait and whispered in Adrien's ear,

"I'm gonna tell him."

Adrien looked up in shock, "We'll see you later then."

Zoe nodded and took Eli's hand, leading him into an alleyway, "No matter what you see or hear or feel, don't open your eyes." He obeyed her, and she transformed, picking him up and flying to the top of the Eiffel Tower, "Open."

Eli opened his eyes and looked around, and once his gaze rested on her, he put the pieces together.

"You're Fireheart, Zoe." She nodded,

"That's right. That's why Hawk Moth wants to kill me, he figured out who I am—because I roasted him about his ugly outfit." She sucked in a breath, nervous for what he would think. But he looked happy, elated really, then he laughed.

"Of all the ways to reveal yourself!" His laugh calmed, "Adrien, he's Cat Noir?"

"Why does everyone figure that out upon hearing that. Hawky didn't for some reason, but Nino…" she smiled, "But yeah." She sat on the rail, gesturing for him to sit, "I won't let you fall." He smiled shyly,

"I know you won't, princess." He sat on the rail, ignoring they were many hundreds of meters above the ground, watching the sunset.

…

Eli tried as hard as he could to not blush furiously. He hadn't gotten a good look at Fireheart the first time he had met her in her superhero form, but looking at her now, he realized she was stunning, jaw-droppingly gorgeous. The dark yet fiery red suit contrasted her head and complimented her dark hair—the wig had vanished and her eyes were once again blue—it also held very little to the imagination. He also felt all fuzzy inside knowing she trusted him enough with her secret identity. Maybe he really did have a shot with her…

The sun set, and Fireheart took his hand, helping him back to the ground,

"Please…promise me you won't tell."

Eli nodded, "I promise." And he meant it.

Fireheart grinned and hugged him, "Welcome to the club. You should head back to your home. I'll check on the others."

He tried to hide the lovely shade of tomato he had become upon her contact with him, but he had made her happy, and that was all he needed. She ran off and flew into the sky as he waved in her direction,

"See you soon, my love."

OoOoO

The day went great. The teens went to many stores and spoiled Felix with toys. The baby took a liking to the ladybug themed things, taking after his big brother. Marinette was staying the night, and Adrien was rocking his baby brother in the rocking chair, singing quietly,

" _This dream that lives within your eyes_

 _I wish to see it come to life_

 _A thousand blades unto the sky_

 _My dearly beloved, be strong, I shall be there_

 _Reach out and link our worlds, yours and mine_

 _Let the tide rush over you and one day I know_

 _We shall meet again_

 _My dearly beloved."_

Gabriel came in, "Where's Zoe?"

"She's with a friend." He felt bile rise in his throat as he knew he needed to be nice, "Wanna hold him?" Gabriel took Felix, who grabbed his glasses and started chewing on them. _Good baby._

When Adrien thought about it, his relationship with his father was like Morgana and Uther in season 3 of _Merlin_ : pretending to be his father's golden child, but actually hating his guts and wanting him dead.

Gabriel groaned and took the glasses back, putting Felix in the bassinet,

"You do a good job with him. You'll make a good big brother."

That made Adrien smile genuinely a little, "Thank you. Good night."

OoOoO

Eden laid down on her bed happily. She'd had a great day. Little disappointed Zoe had left, but Felix was adorable and sweet. She fingered her Miraculous, she had finally figured out what her weapon was, twin hooks, so at least she knew what they were, not that they'd help her as she wasn't much of a fighter.

Roari sat on her head, "You really enjoyed yourself with Felix."

"Yeah. I've always wanted kids. Which would be hard, being bisexual and all, I have very little attraction to guys. I could adopt, I guess, but this was a fun day." She cupped her kwami in her hands, "I love my life here. This just proves I want to stay."

Roari shrugged, "We'll see how things go for the finale."

Episode 78. The episode that drove the writing team to tears. She could only hope it was happy tears and nobody would be killed.

OoOoO

Eli got home when the sun had long since set, throwing his backpack on his desk chair and changing for bed, cleaning his glasses of all the baby slobber. He still felt like a lovesick schoolboy, and he also realized Zoe was even more out of his league now, but that was the least of his problem.

Douglas was at the door, "Eli. Where were you?"

"With the Agrestes and their friends. Apparently Zoe accidentally adopted a baby under Gabriel's name, so they were taking care of him, and had very little idea what they were doing, so I pitched in."

"And did you finally stop slacking and get information?"

If he lied and said he hadn't, he'd get beaten, but if he said yes, then he'd be forced to talk, or would he… "Yes actually."

That got his captor's interest, "Then tell me."

Eli turned to face him with a wry smirk. He had promised to not tell Zoe's secret, so he wouldn't, "You said I had to _get_ information, you never said I had to _tell_ you."

"Need I remind you that if I give the word, your father dies. I'd start talking if I were you."

Eli flinched. That threat hung over him still. But his father hadn't cared about that;

" _You do not give in, Eli! You are nobody's slave. Don't worry about me, you are my treasure and your life is the most precious thing to me in this or any world, and I would die for you without hesitation. Make me proud and tell them nothing."_

Eli squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them, confidence growing as he put a sleep shirt on, "I'm not your servant. You may have me as your prisoner and spy, but I owe you nothing!" He gasped as he felt hands dig into his throat,

"What did you just say? Repeat that. I dare you."

"You're right." He wheezed, clawing at the hands strangling him, "I am in love with Zoe. And that means I will never betray her trust!"

The iron grip moved from his throat to his wrists, squeezing to the point of almost breaking much like the first time.

"So she knows the power you possess? What a freak you are? She knows what the amulet does?"

He sucked in a breath, trying to not cry out in pain, "I'm not a freak. And it's not like I'll ever use the amulet again, so why bother. But she confided in me, and I will honor her trust. That's what my father wants me to do!"

Douglas glared and dug into the desk drawer with one hand and held out the amulet,

"Tell you what, show her this, and tell her what it does, and if she truly doesn't leave you, we'll let both you and your father go. And she must kiss you."

"That's some fairy tale bullshit!" He got slapped and the amulet was forced around his neck, and Eli used all his willpower to prevent it from activating. It could be dangerous now, he didn't know what those men had done to it. But he still had to fight. If Douglas found out Zoe's secret identity, they could do to her and Adrien what had happened to him and his father.

"No. I will tell you nothing. But I will show her."

Douglas smirked and removed the amulet—making Eli wonder why he put it on in the first place,

"I thought we could come to an agreement and your cowardice would help me. Well, if you're not going to talk..." he grabbed Eli by the hair and dragged him down the stairs and into the closet that had a back room.

Eli's stomach dropped as his hands were forced behind his back and he was literally chained to the wall in the pitch-black room. It was a small room, like a closet within a closet, but there was no source of light.

"Please, sir, don't do this..." he bowed his head. He was ashamed to admit it was terrified of the dark.

Douglas sent him a false sympathetic look and bowed down, almost getting bit as he put a gag in Eli's mouth,

"You could have avoided this. But I'll be nice, you can get out of this, but I kill your father." That wasn't worth it. He stayed silent as his captor stood up,

"Fine. Enjoy three days in the dark with no meals." He door shut and locked as Eli twisted and eventually after a few minutes of struggling got his chained hands from behind him to in front, making it easy to take out the gag. He clawed at the door that was now just a wall. It felt like the walls were closing in on him and he was getting hot as a panic attack started up.

"Don't cry, you're strong, you can do this, don't cry..." he had only cried once before this ordeal, when his mother died, when she gave him he amulet as her dying request that he use it for good. For fifteen years, he had only shed a few tears, but on the sixteenth it felt like he cried every other day.

Maybe Zoe would find him? No. She couldn't. She would be busy with the baby and he didn't have his phone on him to call for help. Even if she came over as Fireheart, Douglas would find some excuse for his absence or maybe even turn her against him. And that was something he couldn't bear as her friendship was the only light at the end of the tunnel of darkness, and her laugh, smile and touch were a lantern. There was a chance he would have killed himself to escape this hell if it weren't for her.

He didn't give in, but he did curl into a ball and take shaky breaths, longing in for the friend he could no longer have if he was right, something that for once he desperately didn't want to be.

"Jaay, I need you…"

 **A/N: Eli's story is the darkest part, but nothing will get worse than that from here on out. The next chapter is the next akuma, so there will be a break until the new episodes, but I hear a ton come in February so hooray.**

 **Points to who can guess the song Adrien was singing to Felix.**

 **Remember to feed Cheeto (only good reviews feed the Author kwami)! And I love you all.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Guys…I tried to stay away, I really did, wait for the next episode, but there were so many reviews and PMs that made Cheeto very happy and when the boss wants to transform, you obey...and I'm weak.**

 **And I have had many questions about Cheeto, so I'm gonna answer all the ones I've gotten from reviews and PMs.**

 **1) When did you create Cheeto?**

 **When I started writing this story. I write stories for fun often and it was Paula who suggested I write fanfiction, because Zoe was originally a character for a book I am writing, but she fit perfectly with this story, I started using her and developed it more, and with that, Cheeto came to be. Her birthday is May 16** **th** **, 2018, the day I actually started writing this series—that's why five chapters got released in ten minutes, they'd been done for a while.**

 **2) What does Cheeto look like?**

 **Cheeto is an orange tabby cat, muck like Plagg only orange with stripes and blue eyes, and a bit more feminine. The next orange president, as my Dad jokes.**

 **3) Does Cheeto eat anything other than reviews?**

 **Donuts, Taco Bell and French Fries of all kinds. But reviews are the most effective.**

 **4) Is Cheeto based off your real-life pet?**

 **No. Paula got a puppy for her birthday two years ago, her name is Penny, she's a copper miniature poodle. And she eats literally anything, can climb on tables and counters, is insanely smart, can eat tons of chocolate and sour patch kids without getting sick or even reacting (I am not kidding, she ate king sized Hershey bar once and didn't even vomit) and diligently performed Dog Opera at three a.m. (why do you think I post chapters at midnight my time? I'm waiting for it and only get three hours of sleep on weeknights because sleeping in is only on weekends) So no, Cheeto is too lazy for that and LETS ME SLEEP. *cries silently***

 **Anyway, chapter 15, let's go.**

 **Chapter 15: Imprisonment and Baby's First Word**

How long had it been? Eli didn't know, but he did know it had been at least a day because his stomach had reached the point of hunger that it had stopped aching, but he still knew he was hungry. The iron chains had rubbed against his skin and cut through, causing bleeding. If this was anything like the last time he had been locked up in this closet, it would scar. But that time had been for nine days as punishment when he snuck out that night at the party and he had been still recovering from the shock his body went through when Zoe collapsed by his door. To say the least, he wore baggy clothes to hide how thin and malnourished he was.

The door opened, and Eli winced as a bright light appeared. Was it over? Was Douglas here to release him, and taunt him some more? Anything but the darkness…

Linda came in with a small lamp…well, her name wasn't really Linda, it was Hana (Hon-a), but Douglas insisted she use a fake name to symbolize a new beginning or some shit like that, something Eli had refused to do. Hana was quite pretty, with long golden hair that shone in the light, falling to her navel when down, but was usually in a messy bun; her chocolate eyes gave her a look of softness. Standing at 5'7, her body was long and toned. But Eli trusted her because he knew she has many scars because she was almost as much of a prisoner as Eli himself—she was in the wrong place at the wrong time and heard the wrong thing, dragging her into this—including those on her back which she received from whips, something Eli too had experienced.

"Han? Is it over?"

Hana set down the small lamp and a paper plate with some cookies, green beans and chicken with mashed potatoes.

"No. He decided to leave you in here longer, it's been three days, but he wants to leave you I here for five. I brought you some leftovers and a light. I wish I could do more and have done it sooner, but he's keeping a sharper eye on me after I brought you that blanket last time. The light folds into a disk, so you can hide it in a pocket and you can fold up the plate to hide it as well."

"Thank you…" he rasped, and Hana held out a glass of water for him to drink, "Thank you so much."

Hana smiled, "It's nothing. You're going through more than me, and I'm miserable. But you have somewhere to go if you do this. I sent your letter to your father too, and he was allowed to respond." She handed him a crinkled paper, then turned, "I need to go. Oh! And Zoe thinks you're violently ill and vomiting, she brought you the cookies for when you felt better, knowing they were your favorite."

Eli's heart warmed at hearing that, "Tell her I love them." She sighed, shutting and locking the door, but it was no longer pitch black, and that was good. He looked between the letter and the food, which made his stomach grumble painfully. After a minute, he tore into the food, then took a break, saving some for future days. He read the letter, the date reading a month prior,

 _My son,_

 _I was able to get paper from my guard, whose actually a nice guy, and he agreed to mail it. I am so happy to hear you've fallen in love, she sounds wonderful and a lot like your mother, and she has earned my blessing. ;)_

 _I know you probably won't get this soon or ever, even if it gets mailed, but it makes me content knowing you're alive—but I wish you were also well and that horrible man hasn't hurt you, but I know he has. I'm fine though, bored and worried for you in this crappy room, but they aren't hurting me in any other way than telling me when you get hurt. Remember, you will not be afraid, you are strong, don't worry about me._

 _I recommend telling Zoe, she's kind of a legend over here as well for being a ruthless, insane badass, especially when protective; nice to know she's a dorky, food obsessed sweetheart as well. She'd probably help you if you told her what was going on, it's doubtful she'd judge._

 _Stay safe Treasure,_

 _Dad_

Eli smiled with tears in his eyes, hugging the letter close. He couldn't tell Zoe, she'd ask too many questions that would lead to the amulet, and now he wasn't worried about her considering him like Hawk Moth, he was worried about her thinking he'd used her, especially with this new potential key to freedom with that kiss. He also worried she'd get hurt again, because she already had a target on her head. Even if she helped then asked questions, he wasn't sure he would be happy with her hating him.

Maybe he was worrying too much. Maybe she'd understand. She was his friend and a superheroine. But he had lied about Douglas' connection to him, but at least he hadn't lied about his father getting addicted to heroin; though he hadn't mentioned he had gone to rehab while Eli himself stayed with his grandparents and he got off it successfully, and Zoe probably assumed he had died, but he hadn't _lied_ about it.

The food sat there tauntingly, so he tried one of Zoe's cookies, which had a sticky note next to them:

 _\- Sorry to hear you're sick. I'll check up on you if you're not back by the end of the week. I would now, but Doug wouldn't let me and Gabe's trying to teach me to be polite after I fed him a barbie for being an asshole, so I'm occupied, but I knocked the instructor out with my chloroform to get these to you. I know you like them._

He smiled and took a bite of one of her fluffy pumpkin cookies with chocolate chips. It was chilled, not fresh out of the oven anymore, but they were still delicious.

Satisfied, he closed his eyes and let himself drift to sleep.

OoOoO

Gabriel walked into Felix's room and stared at the baby. He was worried, because while Adrien hadn't seemed to be corrupted, Felix very well could be. And he had heard Adrien and Zoe had a competition on who could teach Felix his first word. He picked the baby up,

"Okay Felix, can you say my name?" The baby blinked, then smiled,

"Gabe!" Gabriel glared. _Damnit Zoe._ Well, maybe he could teach his baby son the proper way you address his father.

"No. Try again."

"Hawky!"

"No…try again. Say 'Father'."

Felix stared at him, then he had a huge grin and clapped his hands together, before…

"Fucker!"

Gabriel wasn't sure how to respond to that. On the one hand, he could have simply mispronounced it, but he also knew Zoe's two favorite other nicknames, so the odds of that being the lucky case were not in his favor.

"Trying to teach Felix to talk? He's figured out names, but not anything else, or…he knows how to identify us, hence why he just called you Fucker, and no, that was not a mispronunciation." Felix hand his hands out to his big brother,

"Adri!" Adrien took him and bounced him, earning squeals of delight from the child,

"Hello baby bro."

"What does he call Zoe?"

"Satan. It's her nickname in our friend group. He calls Cat Noir 'Kitty'." As it should be, as that girl was the devil. But what…

"Cat Noir has met him?"

"Yeah. He came to check on Zoe after she almost got assassinated." He shrugged, "I'll have you know that Fucker was his first word. Zoe cried tears of pride, and we both knew you would be livid."

Gabriel sighed. Zoe really needed to die, but at least Eden hadn't really been a problem yet. _Yet_. If he did succeed in killing Zoe, he suspected she'd go ballistic, and that was worrisome.

…

What Gabriel didn't know was that Adrien had been the one to teach Felix his first word. The baby was surprisingly smart and was already learning to stand and take a singular step. He was a very quiet baby, and rarely cried, seeming to have figured out how to tell then what he needed by pointing to his stomach when hungry and crinkling his nose when he needed a diaper change. He wanted to get Felix tested to check his IQ when he was older, because he and the others were theorizing he would qualify for MENSA.

But still, he wanted Gabriel to care for Felix a little, not be a neglectful prick.

…

Adrien looked up at his father, "He doesn't cry often, but he does get fussy sometimes. But no matter how upset he is, he loves the song _Dearly Beloved_ , both on piano and with words. It's good practice for piano, he just falls fast asleep. You heard me singing part of it the other day." He rocked his little brother in his arms and gave the baby a ladybug toy as he had stared at Gabriel for too long and started getting fussy. "I'll teach it to you, it's his bedtime." He closed the curtains and began to sing, turning on an essential oil diffuser,

" _One day you will realize, the stars you are chasing_

 _Shine bright deep inside you_

 _But will you ever let it shine from within_

 _and cast all of your fears aside?_

 _You'll see the light_

 _but until that day comes_

 _My dearly beloved, be strong, I shall be there_

 _Always here beside you, so keep your head held high_

 _The shadows of this world will try to steal you away into their arms_

 _But you belong in mine."_ Felix closed his eyes and Adrien set him back in the bassinet, setting a small blanket over him. He looked to the diffuser, "He loves the Valor oil too, as we discovered, so we diffuse it and that helps him sleep too."

Gabriel noticed Adrien seemed to have taken the role of father very seriously and had managed to even make it convenient. It both filled him with pride and wondered how Adrien had learned to do that as he admittedly hadn't had much paternal care himself, maybe Zoe had taught him, or Emilie.

Adrien looked at Felix lovingly, smiling as the baby cooed in his sleep.

"Zoe's gonna be crabby when she gets back, so I need to keep the baby happy. I have a date with Mari in an hour, so I left a list for you so you can take care of him. He eats some foods, so there's guacamole, some soft cookies, and yogurt with blueberries in the mini fridge." Natalie had been really tired, exhausted while looking for assassins to kill Zoe and stress getting to her, so she got the day off. This meant Gabriel was alone with Felix. Adrien shrugged,

"Well, I'm still alive and I know Mom had to work on her movie, meaning I was alone with you, so I think you can handle it." Gabriel noted there was a bit of distain in his son's tone, but brushed it off as when Adrien turned to face him, he had an innocent smile, "Zoe'll be back around eight, and I'll be back from my dinner date at ten. But a guy must never leave his lady waiting, and her parents always talk for a while, so I should go." He waved and walked out of the room, leaving Gabriel alone.

Nooroo emerged, "Master? Are you going to work?"

"No. I'm going to take care of this child, erase what Zoe has taught him. Hopefully when she's dead, he won't remember her. I do wonder how I'll explain him to Emilie when I get her back." He shooed the kwami away and just sat in the rocking chair, making sure Felix didn't wake up, and he ended up falling asleep.

He was woken up when he felt someone step on his foot. He yelped and felt a hand over his mouth. Zoe was glaring at him, her hair curled, and she was wearing a tight pink dress. Needless to say, she was pissed. But even he had to admit that while pink wasn't her color, she looked good.

"Asshole, it's finally fucking over, and I learning nothing. Well, I learned, but the shits I give are little as fuck, in fact, they're invisible." She whisper-yelled, crossing her arms.

"That's what you get for feeding me my phone."

"And how I'm gonna do much worse." She smirked wryly and looked to the baby with a look of shock, "You didn't eat him?! I'm glad, but also shocked." She checked her phone, "I'm gonna clean myself up, then I'm going to sleep after setting some death traps for you. Don't even think about it." She walked off, then came back, "No eating him."

"Why would I…?" He sighed, "Oh."

OoOoO

Zoe cleaned herself up, showering to remove the perfume and hair spray, braiding her hair loosely and putting on sweats after burning the dress with a flamethrower on her burning apparatus. The heels had been torn apart and deep fried for Gabe to eat later.

Blazze was eating as she flopped on bed, because she gave no fucks. The last three days had been hell, and it was finally over!

"I hope Eli's okay." She said sleepily, "But stomach bugs don't last long, and I don't want to risk giving something to Felix." She yawned, "If he's not back at school on Monday, I'll go check on him as Fireheart." It was Saturday now.

Blazze nodded, "Yeah. Good night, Zoe."

"Night. Tell me if Gabe strikes."

Blazze turned to the blowtorch tied to the door _Home Alone_ style—Adrien knew that if it was past nine and he wanted to come in, he had to go through the window as Cat Noir.

"I doubt I'd need to."

 **A/N: Feed Cheeto! And this time I'll be good and wait, because Finals are coming up on Tuesday, so I can afford to behave. Love you guys.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Okay, so I took a look at the new episodes, and very few are gonna come to pass, because the finale is supposed to be tied to the Bourgeois family, and remember that Chloe is more distant from her parents. And Cat Blanc will likely be tied to the Love Square or a Hawk Moth reveal, and Zoe is there so not only are Adrien and Marinette dating and he knows about Hawky, the following would ensue…**

 **Zoe: GET OUT OF MY BROTHER, AKUMA! *slaps Adrien until akuma decides to fuck off* THE POWER OF SATAN REPELS YOU!**

 **Yeah.**

 **Chapter 16: It's a miracle! Zoe didn't kill a child! But some toys paid the price (and Gabe** _ **really**_ **wants a Christmas gift)**

Now, there were many things that were considered a bad idea with Zoe involved. Babysitting a bratty child was 100% one of them. And this was why Adrien and Marinette had literally begged her to go check on Eli, because it had been close to eight days now and he was nowhere to be found. It was an excuse for her to not be anywhere near Nino's brother, Chris.

Zoe knocked on the door and Linda answered,

"Ms. Agreste, how lovely to see you."

"Please, just call me Zoe." Her smile darkened, "How's Eli?"

Linda's smile faded as well, "He's…still in bad shape. He's not contagious, he's had a migraine hit him hard, he hasn't eaten much of anything and is pale as hell because he can't be in light. He's also been scratching viciously at his wrists, so be careful of that."

"Can I see him?" She was really worried now, but it didn't miss her notice that Douglas had said it was a stomach virus. Linda nodded, "Yes. He's feeling a bit better, he ate the cookies your brought, just talk quietly."

Zoe knocked on the door, "Hey…Eli? You in there?"

The door opened, and Eli came out, and he really did look like death warmed up. He had dark bags under his eyes and his skin was practically transparent. There were white bandages around his wrists, which were flecked with red.

Her eyes widened, "Linda told me you had it bad, I didn't imagine anything like this!"

Eli chuckled, "I'm feeling better now that you're here, Princess. Thank you for the cookies."

"No problem." She was about to take a step into the room when she felt a hand on her shoulder,

"Ms. Agreste, I'm afraid my nephew isn't seeing anyone. He will be at school tomorrow, but he's tired." Douglas looked to Eli disapprovingly, "Get some rest, Eli."

"Yes sir."

Zoe frowned, giving him a bag of more homemade cookies, "Here. I made you more cookies. There are some without chocolate, so I recommend not eating the ones with chocolate until your headache gets better." Douglas was dragging her down the stairs, "Feel better!"

He forced her outside and locked the door, "Rude." Blazze emerged,

"Well, you should probably head back to the bakery."

Zoe looked at Eli's window and noticed it was open and he was sitting in the windowsill, watching her go. Strange. Why did she feel there was more going on here?

She walked back to the bakery and found a child throwing a tantrum,

"I WANT CHRISTMAS TO COME RIGHT NOW!"

"What the fuck?" Nino, Alya, Evelyn, Adrien and Marinette all turned to her in horror,

"NOOOO!" Adrien shouted, "Why are you here?!" She put her hands on her hips and looked at the child,

"Why do you want Christmas to come early?"

"Because I want my gift!"

Zoe crossed her arms, "Well, I happen to know Santa," well, her uncle had worked as a mall Santa for a while, so that counted, "And I know quite well that you're being a brat, and Santa won't put up with that shit."

Nino's hand flew over his mouth to hide a strangled scream, and Zoe realized this was probably his brother, Chris, whose eyes widened, "No I'm not! I'm a big kid!"

"And I have a gun." She bent down so she was at eye-level with him, "Do you like monsters?" Chris nodded, "You're looking at one." She looked around the room at all the toys that seemed to have suffered in the boy's tantrum, "So how about you clean this up or Santa gets an anonymous tip about your behavior."

Chris nodded vigorously and started cleaning up, seemingly afraid, and her tone brooked no argument. Nino gaped as Chris walked off with him.

Adrien stared, "How did you just do that? You got him to stop…we tried the Santa thing when he saw your weapon trunk and he just called bullshit."

"When did he go into my room?" She glared, and Marinette panicked, knowing trespassers were always brutally mutilated.

"He didn't know it was your room! But you handled it! Please don't kill Nino's brother."

Zoe huffed, "Fine. But if I find anything out of place, that kid will learn what a monster can do." She turned to walk away, but Adrien stopped her,

"Actually, can you help us out? We want to make a new blanket for Felix."

"Sure."

They worked for hours, eventually nodding off in a heap together. When they woke up, it was snowing.

"Snow?" Evelyn mused, running to the window, "Cool!" They went to the balcony and saw giant fish things in the sky, and toy soldiers looking for Santa Claus,

"ZOOOOEEEE!" Adrien wailed, "I knew this would happen! Now we have to go deal with this shit!"

"Hey! You guys suggested gifts to the nicest kid. With a good kid, the carrot works better than the stick, but with a brat, it's the opposite. Now if you excuse me, it's time to break _Toy Story_. Wings out!"

And then a teddy bear was threatening murder. Fireheart and Tigris went in one direction, while Ladybug and Cat Noir went in another.

Did either secret-sister expect to find Santa and end up in the ice rink? No. But that was what was happening. And Phillipe was a Santa fangirl apparently.

Fireheart retracted her sword and called Ladybug, "Hey LB, we're chilling with Santa in the ice rink. He says he didn't know what happened, but it seems your bullshit story about nicest kid is actually true."

The two other heroes came and got a recap, then a dinosaur and a plastic dog came barreling in through the perfectly good wall.

"Haha! Got ya." They were surrounded by green army men. And Fireheart didn't want to deal with it. She ran at them with her sword, and it caused the plastic to melt upon contact,

"Let's get a move on." She took Santa's hat and put it on Cat Noir, "You look cute, Kitty Claus, not go make sure there are no other scent-based threats."

"Sure." He ran off and Santa looked offended.

"Ms. Fireheart, that is quite unorthodox."

"Well excuse me for saving your life." She snapped, dragging him down the street, "Come on!"

…

Tigris paused when they ran into Nino, "Nino! Chris has been akumatized, am I right?" She knew the episode names for the future, she also knew there was a very high chance of Zoe intervening with at least seven.

"Well…" Nino shrugged, "he's gone missing. So, I guess…" He looked up, "Santa Claus?"

Tigris sighed and ran off to a toy store, grabbing the toy Chris wanted and wrapping it in Christmas-themed paper—she'd had to care for Joselyn, this wasn't her first radio as her Dad had accidentally spilled the beans on Santa not being real, thinking she had figured it out while she was thinking about logic at age five, so the magic had died fast for her.

"Got toy, not let's go beat up a Villain." Fireheart suddenly had a flamethrower, and she decided not to question her sister's antics.

"Out of curiosity," Nino said, "Where is Zoe on your list, Zoe Agreste."

Santa chuckled, "That girl has her own list. She is not naughty, as her actions have value, but they are also morally questionable and her sanity even more so. She wants a decent hit man for Christmas, so I couldn't help her more than her death closet could."

"Fair." Fireheart replied.

Tigris ran over to a car and raised the gift in the air while Ladybug got Santa away, "Hey Chris! I have your gift! Come get it if you want it!"

A helicopter came and took the gift and Tigris followed it. Fireheart caught up and ruffled her hair,

"Clever little sneak. Brilliant!" She grinned at her sister's approval and Ladybug caught up to them as they found themselves on a floating thing of Legos.

…

"That's odd." Fireheart peaked around the Legos and saw Christmaster on a throne—the name had been explained by Tigris—and he got the gift.

The toys appeared, some copies of what Fireheart had previously melted, "Mission accomplished Christmaster, we captured Santa Claus." It was Cat Noir, who was just chilling, not giving any fucks, "He tried to trick us by dressing up as Cat Noir, but he couldn't fool us."

"You were tricked! That's Cat Noir dressed up as Santa Claus, not the other way around. You're such babies! Keep looking!" And then he jumped as Fireheart sliced through the toys yet again. Cat Noir laughed, free from his bonds,

"You're like that kid from _Toy Story_ that tortures the toys."

"Not wrong." She turned to the brat, "You have your toy because dear Tigris was kind enough to give it to you, so shut the fuck up and give us the akuma."

Christmaster picked up a Ladybug and Cat Noir doll—and Fireheart felt a little offended he didn't have the Fireheart doll, while Tigris gave no fucks, seeing where this would go—the toys were slammed into the snow globe and two giant toys in the image of their friends appeared, and they sounded like creepy robots.

They attacked, but since they were plastic, it really wasn't hard to fight when Tigris used her twin hooks and threw one at each toy, knocking them down so Fireheart could decapitate them, which was surprisingly graphic.

"No fair!" Christmaster shouted, "My toys…"

"Are melted now." Tigris said, "Mess with a psycho, a psychic and their superhero friends? You've got another thing coming."

Christmaster looked at them while the akuma symbol appeared over his eyes and slammed the toy into the snow globe.

"NO!" Ladybug shouted, but it was too late as a giant robot came down on them.

"Destroy them!" The robot attacked, but seemed to be going directly for Fireheart, sending Cat Noir flying in the process, off the floating island.

Fireheart screamed, running to the edge. Please know what she said next was purely dramatization and sarcasm because she knew he was fine

"Oh no, Kitty! Kitty no, NO! You were the only one I liked! NO!" She turned to the giant robot, "Why did you have to be the one to live? Die Robot!" She attacked it, jumping to the top of the head. Ladybug walked to Christmaster,

"Not my toy, you won't ruin another one!" Ladybug just rolled her eyes, knowing her dragon companion was unstable and if she wanted some toy destruction, she'd get it.

"You have a choice, your toy, or the snow globe." He didn't get to choose, as Tigris snatched it from behind and snapped it with her twin hooks. The akuma flew out just as Cat Noir came back up,

"Hey guys."

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

"Fuck!" Everything set back to normal and they were falling, until the magic ladybugs caught them and set them gently on the ground.

Cat Noir bent down beside Chris, "So big kid, feeling better?"

"Yeah. But…I don't remember much."

Ladybug came over, "Don't worry. Everything's fine. Tigris, could you take Chris home, I don't trust Fireheart."

"As you shouldn't. I would be a terrible mother." She laughed, but Cat Noir put a hand on her shoulder,

"With some practice, you'd actually make a great mother. But maybe we should handle your fiery temper first." They laughed and walked back to the bakery.

OoOoO

Gabriel needed a Christmas present. Zoe had stolen his Miraculouses again! So fucking close! That bitch was a real problem.

He _really_ needed a break, even for just a little while.

OoOoO

The Agrestes ate dinner quietly, Zoe picking at the black cherries on her plate in her ice cream. They tasted mildly sweet, and that was surprising and worrisome in a way, but she couldn't quite pinpoint it. What she could pinpoint, was her throat and mouth were dry, and she had to pee. And she was unsure if she hated children in general, or just most of them because she loved Felix and Eden.

She took a sip of water, "I need to use the restroom, I'll be right back." She got up and went to her room, using the restroom, only to find she was extremely sensitive to light, was staggering, and her vision was blurred. She fell to the ground as she realized her problem: she'd been poisoned! She would have kicked herself had she been able to, because the symptoms lined up with belladonna, also known as Deadly Nightshade—and she had eaten the cherry-things. Shit.

She was immune to most poisons, but belladonna was not one of them as it was found more commonly in Europe, instead of the United States. Curses!

"Help…"

…

Adrien frowned to himself, pausing from feeding Felix, looking up to the ceiling, "Zoe's been gone for a while."

Gabriel shrugged a little too gleefully for his liking, "Perhaps it's the time of the month."

"No, her cycle was two weeks ago. I'm going to go check." He got up, but Gabriel stopped him, a look on his fae that was both trying to stop him, and wondering why in god's name his son knew Zoe's cycle.

"Maybe the food just didn't agree with her, give her some privacy."

"Says the guy who makes us share a dressing room." He was very worried now and practically sprinted to Zoe's room, knocking swiftly before barreling in.

He could have sworn his heart skipped a beat or two.

On the floor was Zoe, and when he ran over to her, she was flushed, and her pupils were huge, totally black, hiding the sapphire blue of her irises almost completely.

"Zoe! Are you okay?" Obviously, the answer was 'no, you idiot' but the point of him asking was to see if she could tell him the problem.

She squinted, "Hm? Oh…I tink Gabae poison me…Belle Donna, like Donna Murphy…" she giggled weakly and Adrien's eyes widened,

"You were poisoned by belladonna?" She nodded a little, before beginning to convulse.

"Shit! Fuck!" He pulled out his phone, "1-1-2! This is Adrien Agreste! I'm at the Agreste Mansion, Zoe's been poisoned, I think by belladonna, but she's a bit delirious so I can't be sure. She probably ingested it roughly twenty minutes ago."

"Okay, an ambulance in on the way."

Knowing Gabriel wouldn't open the gate, Adrien took a now either unconscious or very loopy Zoe on his back and ran to Natalie's desk, opening the thing. Natalie looked shocked,

"What are you doing?"

"Zoe's been poisoned by Hawk Moth, and she's too out of it to tell me if she has the cure in her death closet. I think it's belladonna, but I can't be fully sure."

The paramedics ran in and took Zoe from Adrien, and if she were still lucid, she'd probably comment on some serious déjà vu.

Adrien grabbed Felix before his monster of a father could react, and he could tell Gabriel was livid, likely cursing his plan not working, not that Adrien cared as he hopped into the ambulance with the paramedics.

Felix started to cry, representing Adrien's mood, but he had to keep the baby silent,

"Shhh, it's okay, it' okay, hush…" He started to hum, and Felix calmed as people buzzed around them and rushing into the hospital.

"Please wait, here Mr. Agreste." Adrien noted that if he even ended up in this hospital again, it better be in at the very least five years and it better be Marinette having a baby _safely_ , otherwise it would be too soon. If Zoe was having a child, the kid would be dead in ten minutes of being conceived.

He called everyone, and it was, to the surprise of nobody, Eli who arrived first, he looked no better than when Zoe had seen him earlier that day—ill, starving and pale—and he sat down,

"Any change?"

"Not that I've heard. But I'm hoping we caught it and it wasn't a lethal dose."

Evelyn and Marinette were the second the arrive, and asked the same questions, until everyone was there, all of them worried for their friend.

Dr. Winston came out, looking cheerful, if not startled, "Oh wow. Come on back."

They all obeyed, "Zoe?!"

"She's fine." The doctor informed, "You caught it before it did serious damage. We purged her of the poison and gave her the antidote, and it helped she seemed to have a slight immunity. She's in her hospital room, grumpy, but fine. She'll need to stay for a few days to make sure she's alright, but it's just precaution. But because this was another attempt on her life at the Agreste Mansion, you will need a place to stay for the time being.

Marinette pulled out her phone, "Hey, Mama, Zoe almost got killed again, can they stay with us again? Okay, thanks, I'll let them know—Oh! And that counts baby Felix. Great. Love you. See you soon." She hung up, "And you're staying with us again."

Adrien sighed in relief, "Thank god. Can we see her?"

Dr. Winston nodded and led them to a hospital room, where Zoe seemed to be asleep, turned on her side. She was paler than normal, but it wasn't like last time where she looked dead.

"Zoe!" Everyone cheered, and Zoe opened her eyes slowly and sat up,

"Guys…my head hurts. You don't get off being poisoned just like that." She snapped and winced. Eli lunged into a hug,

"I was so worried about you!" He released the hug and blushed furiously, "I mean…we were all worried…"

"I'm fine." Zoe replied, "But my body is sore. So, guys, I love you all, but shut up."

"That's fair."

"Satan!" Felix giggled, squirming out of Adrien's grip and crawling onto the bed and onto her lap. She smiled a little and ruffled his hair.

"Hey baby." She smiled, but frowned when she saw Eli walk towards a chair, with a limp, "Eli, what happened?"

"I twisted my ankle while jumping from my window to see you." He said nonchalantly.

"I worry about you." Marinette said.

"Dada!" Everyone paused, looking at Felix, who was grabbing for Eli, "Dada!"

"What…the…fuck…" Was all Adrien said.

"I'm a father?" Eli stared at the gleeful child in terror, clearly not seeing that one coming.

Tom and Sabine ran in, "Zoe! Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine. Peachy. And apparently Eli's a father." She held her breath and the machine beeped loudly, and Dr. Winston ran in, sighing when he saw she was fine.

"Yo, Eli twisted his ankle, can you wrap it?"

The doctor sighed, "Fine."

…

Gabriel waited by his phone eagerly, "Hoping for news of her death."

Natalie came in, "Bad news. She's alive and is once again staying at the Dupain-Chengs with Adrien and Felix."

"Can't it just be Zoe?" He complained, "I need to raise Felix before Zoe corrupts him!"

"And Felix apparently calls the boy, Eli, Dada."

"NOOOOOOOO!"

 **A/N: Gabe needed a break from Zoe, and Eli has stolen the title of father. I'm so excited for the next episode and remember to feed Cheeto the author kwami!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Avenger2003, move along, there is nothing to see here.**

 **Credit to ChristiRose13 for helping me come up with ideas for this chapter.**

 **This chapter is dirtier and has underage drinking (because it's Zoe and only Zoe) but mostly comedy.**

 **Warning- Justin Bieber fans, don't say anything, there will be insults. And references to sex.**

 **Chapter 17: When Gabriel starts seeing his housemate in a different light**

 **(Aka Zoe and Gabriel get drunk af, Adrien suffers at their hands, Felix becomes a superhero, Kagami wonders what the fuck is going on and Backwarder doesn't happen)**

Gabriel hated everything about this.

He hated being outside the house. He hated being inconvenienced in the event he needed to akumatize someone. He hated being on trains. He hated traveling. He hated Zoe. And he was currently in a situation that put him next to Zoe on a train traveling to London for a wedding he didn't want to go to.

Zoe on the other hand, didn't give a singular fuck.

He did wonder why she and the other kids were coming, because she was supposed to be staying with Ms. Dupain-Cheng, but he assumed it would make sense for her to not be in Paris. Damnit.

He flinched when someone brushed against him, and he noticed Zoe blink at him.

"Didn't think you and I would have that in common."

He turned to face her and noticed she was once again not wearing something of his brand. It was a nice sweater, but there was a homey element to it. She was also wearing loose jeans and combat boots. She was…knitting? And listening to music.

"Are you knitting?"

"Yeah. It's hard to find clothes for someone like me, so I make some."

He had no idea what she meant. She wore cheap clothing all the time, and never touched the expensive clothes. Well, there was no harm in asking. "What do you mean?"

Zoe paused her music, "Are you and I having a normal conversation?"

"No harm in it. We have nothing better to do."

She shrugged, "I was born with Sensory Processing Disorder. My senses—sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste—are irregular, and switch between hyper and hypo, meaning I can go between eagle eyes to practically blind in minutes. My sense of touch is always heightened though, so I am extremely sensitive to clothing."

"How did I not know that?"

"I would think you did." Zoe replied nonchalantly, rubbing her temples, and putting on some nice glasses, "Sorry, sight is bothering me today. It's gotten better since I've gotten to this universe, but my lazy left eye if just as annoying as usual."

"So, you knitted that sweater. It's nice."

"Thanks—wait what?!"

The train started and they both were quite uncomfortable. The waiter brought them some food that Gabriel saw as completely unappealing. Zoe noticed this and dumped the food into a plastic bag—he had no idea why she had one—and pulled out some chips.

"What? I'm always prepared." He looked at the chips suspiciously and she caught on, braiding her long hair into a ponytail—like borderline Rapunzel hair, it was insane and she really needed to cut it as it was down to her ass—she smirked playfully, "It's not poisoned, I was gonna give them to Adrien, and I'm too afraid to risk going near Kagami's Mom, that bitch is blind but scary." He actually found himself chuckling at her joke, it was funny. But he was still suspicious,

"Are you being nice? What did you do? Did you kill Natalie and trying to soften the blow?"

She chortled, "Why would I want to soften the blow instead of watching you suffer."

He still wasn't convinced, "What did you do to make you be nice? Did you swap Adrien with an evil clone? And if you did kill Natalie, what did she do to you?"

"One: Why would I do anything to Adrien. Two: Natalie's just your assistant, unless she means _that_ much to you. But that would make your whole quest to get Emilie back completely pointless if you could get laid with your assistant who obviously has a crush on you."

Because that was obviously a lie, he chose to ignore it, "Did you teach Felix of my secret identity? There's no telling with you."

Zoe smirked while knitting and shamelessly eating, "That's for me to know and you to worry about."

"Are you going to kill me in the unlikely event I fall asleep?"

"Nope. We have too many witnesses, and I don't think you have the chair-sleeper gene like I do. Every eldest male in my Dad's line is a chair sleeper, but my Dad can only have girls, so I got it." The fact she spoke in present tense did not escape him.

"Hasn't stopped you before. Style Queen, the bitch you decapitated." He got a terrible realization, "Did you pull the plug on Emilie to charge your phone? Do you even know how to get down there?" Because there was no way she didn't know.

"Not as many people were there for Style Queen, just me and a borderline dead Adrien. And that could easily be called 'self-defense'. Me killing you here would be me randomly attacking you. And for your information, Felix was the one to pull the plug, but it was to charge his iPad."

Wait… what?! "Is my wife still alive?! And if Felix knows, Adrien better not."

"Well Adrien was off snogging Marinette, and Felix only saw your dead wife, so that doesn't mean he knows about the specific thing you're referring to." The only reason nobody could hear was because plot.

"Why did you take him down there?! And did you plug her back in?"

"I took him down there because he was trying to go down there anyway, and I plugged her back in, don't worry." She put her knitting down, "My turn. What's your favorite color?"

"Purple."

She yawned, "I'm sleepy. Gonna watch a musical while I nap."

God fucking damnit. "What… musical?"

That seemed to get her interest, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I have the recording of when I was in it."

It was his guilty pleasure that he liked musicals, and he did love that one, "What role?"

"Joseph, or because they really wanted me for the role, they genderbent it to Josie."

"You're that good?!"

She flipped her hair, "Bitch, I'm even better."

He crossed his arms challengingly, "Prove it."

Two hours later

"Damn." He said, "You are that good." She was phenomenal. Her voice was like an angel and he understood why they changed the role to accommodate her. It was hard to put the bitch he knew with the star he saw there.

"Told you."

He shrugged, knowing they still had a while, "Do—do you have anything else?"

"Are you that bored that you're bonding with me?"

"GAH! NO! I—I need to know my enemy!"

"Suuuuuure."

"If I'm supposed to be your guardian, we need to at least pretend to like each other."

Zoe chuckled, "How is it that we have known each other for a year but know very little. Adrien knows all the plays I've been in and pretty much everything about me."

"Well you practically live with Ms. Dupain-Cheng now."

"And whose fault is that?" She rolled her eyes, "We still knew each other for eight months before that."

"True. But you never answered my question."

Zoe shrugged, "Jovie in _Elf_ ; Woman in the Chair in _Drowsy Chaperone_ , another genderbent role; Mary Poppins in the play of the same name; Juliet in _Romeo and Juliet_ …"

"Were you ever a villain?"

"Ursula in _Little Mermaid_. She and I would get along. Eating, sleeping and fucking with peoples' lives."

Gabriel nodded his approval, "She was one of the more intelligent villains."

"Yeah. Too bad she got stabbed."

"Was it a real stab?"

To his shock, she nodded nonchalantly, "They decided to do it _Kingdom Hearts_ style, where Eric got hold of the trident and stabbed her. We had a retractable knife attacked to it, but it was not retractable. Rule of theater: Something always goes wrong on opening night. In _Christmas Carol_ , the lead got crushed by a rouge giant falling candy cane. That's why we made opening night actually the dress rehearsal. My understudy, while a fine actress, was terrible at singing and could never portray Ursula properly."

In his head, he was laughing, "Did it hurt much?"

"I'm used to it, though it was fun as my first trip to the hospital. I had to get my appendix out that trip."

"So that's how you've lasted so long in our battle to the death." Everything made sense now.

"Yeah." She smiled, "And my Dad had been helping me develop an immunity to poison, you got lucky with belladonna. And my Mom abused me, so my nerves are dead unless involving clothing, because inconvenient." She lifted up a part of her sweater to reveal numerous scars that sickened him to see on a fifteen-year-old girl, even if he wanted to see her dead.

"Holy shit, even I'm not _that_ bad a father."

"Timebreaker. Riposte. Style Queen. Collector."

"Fine, but still, that sounds rough. I honestly thought you had no limits. Can't say I'm not doing a mental happy dance though."

"God no. I run on spite, so it's a part of my nature. And fuck you. Adrien and I want to swap abuse. He gets no attention and I got too much."

"Don't you dare turn this into a lecture."

"I'm not. If I was turning it into a lecture, I'd get out my PowerPoint."

"I smelt it coming—PowerPoint?!" That was unexpected.

"Yeah." She responded as though it was obvious, shifting her position to face him, still knitting and it was frankly quite impressive that she was knitting a patterned blanket in her subconscious, "As an abuse victim myself, I made one, so others understand. You would have gotten so many akumas out of me. Speaking of which, how does your trigger work? You must have one, a way to know, because I doubt you spend all day in the lair, but you should put a chair in there, because it must be tedious standing there. But seriously, why haven't you stopped people from committing suicide?"

He thought about it, "I don't know. I think it tells me who has a very strong emotion, otherwise it would be exploding with all the people who get 'triggered' these days." He scoffed, "So pathetic. But I think I haven't because it hasn't come up. Last I checked, this was supposed to be a kids' show."

"Fair. But you would save someone suicidal, right?"

"I'm not a monster." She narrowed her eyes and lifted her shirt to reveal the deep scar he had given her and pointed to the one on her cheek. "Fine. I'm not a monster to anyone but you and the people I terrorize."

"Better."

"So, are we going to watch another musical before this gets heated?" He frowned, "You know, I might tolerate you if you would quit stopping me, but let's not argue."

"I have _Hamilton_. And I suffer from Main Character Syndrome. You will lose, and I will win."

"I count as the main villain?"

"No." She said sarcastically, "Mr. Pigeon is. Okay, play is starting. Just take a moment to imagine Adrien singing _Burn_ or some variation thereof when he finds out you're Hawk Moth."

" _If_ he finds out."

"No, it's a when. You're the main villain and dragged poor Natalie into it. I haven't told him, but I'm betting I won't have to by episode 78. I saw you and her talking. I had to knock Adrien out so he didn't hear!"

"What?! So much for 'I will never hurt Adrien' … but I appreciate it."

"We walked in right as you said, and I quote, 'I told you never to use the Peacock Miraculous.' It was hard to explain that he tripped over his own feet and knocked himself out." Gabriel had no idea how to respond to this, and was straight horrified when she continued, "He later had a serious boner, so that wasn't the hardest thing to believe."

He was just flabbergasted, looking back at his son who was looking so damn innocent playing with Felix.

Zoe looked amused, "What? He and Marinette made out. That was why he was drenched, I dumped ice water on him. They might have started fucking in the park if I hadn't intervened, so you're welcome for saving your son's virginity."

"I need to have a talk with him about boundaries. Or get Natalie to. Or can you do it?"

"Already did. I had to explain where babies came from. Fuck you for that. He's fifteen for crying out loud! Happy birthday to me! Get to explain sex again!" She looked kind of insane and he could tell it wasn't a happy memory.

"Natalie didn't have 'the talk' with him?! She said she did!"

Zoe laughed, eating some popcorn, "She chickened out and paid me to not tell you, but I'm a mercenary that works for nobody but myself."

Gabriel sighed, "She could have just told me she was uncomfortable! I would have…pulled up my big boy boxers and got it over with."

"I had to woman up and tell him. I told Eden when she was five. She was watching cartoons and suddenly blackmailed me into telling her what it was. I was eight."

"Blackmailed? And how did you know at that age?!"

"The first question, she didn't know Mom abused me and threatened to tell her that I had a job and was buying my own food under a fake name. For the second question, Dad let me watch whatever I wanted, and curiosity killed my innocence. Six years old, watching _Fifty Shades of Grey_."

"She was going to tattle?" He frowned, because that didn't seem like the girl he had met, though it had been a decade between that and then he met her. "Do your parents have any morals!?"

"Dad had morals." Zoe said, "He was great, but often on business." She coughed, "Sound familiar?"

He sighed, then turned back to the musical, "Of this is one of my favorite parts."

That caught her off-guard, "You've seen it? I would think you were too busy causing mayhem."

"Anyone who is anyone has seen _Hamilton_."

She actually laughed, "True."

Three hours later

They got off the train and both practically ran off.

"Finally, off that train!" Zoe said, stretching.

Gabriel sighed in relief, trying to ignore the fact they'd had fun roasting bad informercials and joked they'd be using them on each other as forms of attempted murder. "If I had to spend one more hour with you…"

That night

Zoe sat grumpily in a corner at the reception of the wedding, nursing a glass of vodka given to her by the bartender who fell for her makeup making her look eighteen. She had drunk on her home world, so this wasn't the first time, and today had been rough. She had almost been convinced she was having fun with Gabriel! The horrors!

"I hate this."

"You too?" She jerked up and saw Gabriel also hiding in the corner she was in, also nursing vodka. They walked to the balcony together, and he smiled, "You need to wear my products more often, you look nice when you take care of yourself. If you had told me about your issue earlier, I could have accommodated." The dress was royal purple, and extremely soft with no itching, and looked like a ballgown. Her hair was curled and flowing down her back.

"Was that a compliment?"

He shrugged, "Maybe it was."

Zoe didn't know what to do. She needed to say something, so she started to sing, debating if the alcohol was setting in,

" _You're frigid and demanding_

 _I shudder at your call"_

To her shock, he joined in. It was even more surprising he had heard this song,

" _Whenever you come near me_

 _My flesh begins to crawl"_

Together: _"But sometimes, there are moments_

 _I'm not repelled at all_

 _Maybe you're not the worst thing ever"_

She laughed, _"You're utterly disgusting_

 _I loathe your moth-like stink"_ Moths smell, and the akumas had a sense to them that made her sick.

He smiled, raising his glass, _"I see your mouth start moving_

 _And God, I need a drink"_

" _And then, from out of nowhere,_

 _I'll look at you and think_

 _Maybe you're not the worst thing ever"_

She glared then _, "You're worse than crabs"_

" _Worse than scurvy"_ They didn't know Adrien, Felix and Kagami were watching from the door.

" _Worse than lice or plague"_

" _But truth be told"_

" _You're growing on me just like mold."_

Gabriel rolled his eyes, _"And though, you're so annoying."_

" _So easy to despise_

 _And though, there's something scary_

 _Behind your cold, dead eyes"_

" _And though I'll never like you_

 _It's nice to realize"_

They looked at each other with genuine kindness, _"Maybe I shouldn't quite say never._

 _Maybe you're not the worst thing ever."_

…

Kagami watched, confused, "Are they drunk?"

Adrien sighed, "Nope. That's just them both being their super extra selves."

Felix cocked his head, a manner unbefitting a seven-month-old, "Mama and Fucker are being nice?"

Gabriel and Zoe were watching stars on the balcony, but Adrien knew they were both debating whether to push the other off.

"I do wonder if they're a little drunk if one hasn't killed the other after close to twelve hours of interacting."

Felix looked up, "Fucker has booze?"

"They both have straight vodka." He saw Zoe drug Gabriel's drink, and him do the same to hers, and they both dumped the drink into a plant, then went for a refill.

Kagami's eye widened, "Wait, that's illegal underage drinking!"

"It's Zoe." Was his only response.

"True," She agreed, "But still illegal!"

"Not even the Queen of bloody England was gonna stop her. And she was watching! I think it's fine if the Queen doesn't bat an eye, but that I'm gonna try it."

"Why did you even bring her and her sins into the presence of royalty?"

"Agreste. That's literally it."

"And you couldn't have left her at home?"

"Hawk Moth has tried to kill her so many times, the mayor though she'd be safer. She was poisoned last week and only just got out of the hospital. Still, I agree what a terrible idea that was."

"Fucker is crazy!" Felix said, laughing.

"Proof right there."

Kagami looked at Felix, "What is with this child's vocabulary? You know what, I already have my answer."

Adrien shrugged, "Zoe adopted him thinking he was a doll."

"What?" She gaped, "Rumors thought he had a secret love child or a one-night stand or something."

"Gabriel? No. I mean… I don't know what his relationship with Natalie is…"

"They do seem a little close for her just being an assistant." Kagami agreed.

"I totally ship Eloe. I need to change the subject before it gets dirty."

"Felix calls Eli 'Dada' and Zoe 'Mama' or 'Satan'."

She grinned, "That's adorable."

"I know!" He agreed, "I was shocked at first."

"Did someone teach him that," she asked, "or did he figure it out on his own?"

"All on his own. He calls me Adri."

"So cute. But aren't you his uncle if Zoe is the mother?"

Adrien shrugged, "I have no fucking idea."

Felix tugged on Adrien's sleeve, "Adri, where's Dada?"

"At home, probably sleeping."

…

Eli jolted awake,

"What the hell?! Is this a father sixth sense!?" He was happier than he should be about kind of having a child with Zoe.

"Felix must miss me! I should FaceTime Zoe…" he blushed, "or Adrien. Yeah. Adrien." He called Adrien.

…

Felix crossed his arms, "Why are Mama and Fucker being nice?"

Adrien looked at his ringing phone, "Hey Eli!"

Felix jumped up, "Dada!"

"Hey Felix," Eli said, "Did you miss me?"

Kagami just guffawed, "Wow that was perfect timing."

Felix jumped up and down, taking the phone, "Yeah! Oh, Dada! Hell has frozen over! Mama and Fucker are being nice! Adri says they're drunk."

Eli's eyes widened comically, "She's drunk!? Make sure she doesn't get into trouble for me, right little buddy?"

"She and Fucker are putting crystals in the other's drink. And now they are dancing on the dance floor."

"They're drugging each other." Adrien clarified, "My guess is they were hoping the other would fall off the balcony."

"WHAT THE FUCK! YOU'RE JUST STANDING THERE?! WHAT ABOUT THE FACT THERE IS A QUEEN RIGHT FUCKING THERE!"

Adrien blinked, "She just laughed and gave Zoe more alcohol."

Kagami tore at her hair, "Is everyone drunk at this party?"

Adrien shrugged, "Wherever Zoe goes, disaster follows. Common knowledge."

Eli sighed, "Why am I not surprised. Well anyway, I just wanted to check on Felix."

Adrien smirked, "You're not surprised because you're head over heels for her. Goodnight Eli."

Eli nodded, "I'll see you later, Fe. I miss you." He gave an air kiss and hung up, Felix copying his 'Dada'.

Felix looked up, "Can I have some of the stuff Mama and Fucker had?"

"No. I think you're good."

Felix crossed his arms and toddled over to the punch that was—unbeknownst to him but knownst to Adrien and Kagami—spiked.

"When did he learn to walk?!" Kagami practically shrieked.

Adrien just sighed, scooping the child up, "I have no idea. But do you know what time it is Felix?"

Felix frowned, "11:42?"

"Well, yes—"

"Time for Mama and Fucker to run away at midnight into that restaurant?"

Adrien glared, "If my father eats sweets after the hell he's put me through with the diets… I was going to say it was time for bed, but I would rather not be murdered by Eli for abandoning his love or his child, so I'll just take you with me."

Kagami looked down from the balcony, "Is this normal?"

"This is nothing compared to her usual antics." They snuck out of the party, "You don't want to know." He looked to Felix, "Promise me you will never follow in Mama's footsteps."

"I don't promise anything until Dada does." That was a good enough answer.

…

Meanwhile, Gabriel and Zoe were loopy as hell, eating sweets, bread, French fries and all the shit they could get their hands on. She was being mistaken for eighteen, and if she was sober, she'd point out they were all idiots.

"You're a nice girl, Zoe." Gabriel said. She smiled,

"You think so? Didn't think you'd say that."

The waiter came over, "Do you and your girlfriend need anything else, sir?" Wrong choice of words. He was trying to say it to get a tip from Gabriel, but he instead got this,

"SHE'S MY DAUGHTER, YOU PERVERT!

…

"What do we do?" Kagami asked as they stood outside the door of the restaurant, "Something tells me they'll fight us."

Adrien just sighed, and if Kagami took a shot for the number of times he had done that, she'd die of alcohol poisoning. "They seemed at least decently civil almost all day though."

"Maybe that's why they were drinking." She said with a chuckle.

"Yeah." He agreed, "But I hope it lasts. We have the rest of the weekend to get through—" he was cut off by the sound of a crash and his father's angry voice,

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH ONE HAIR ON THIS AMAZING WOMAN'S HEAD YOU SON OF A BITCH, I AM GABRIEL AGRESTE AND I WILL SUE YOU!"

Nobody knew how to respond to that.

Adrien bit his lip, "My father is officially drunk drunk."

"No shit, we're standing outside."

Gabriel stormed out, dragging Zoe by the hand, who was holding all the food

"No letting those rapists anywhere near you."

Adrien huffed, "They're gonna be so crabby and have such horrible headaches."

"Come on!" Gabriel ordered, "We're going to the mall and getting you a new knife."

"Okay!"

Kagami blinked, "Did they just walk past us with no fucks?"

"Sadly, yes. We're leaving, going back to the hotel. There is no stopping them, there are gonna be blackout drunks."

…

After an argument about Gabriel insisting she get a knife more expensive than two-hundred euros, she settled on a gold knife with a fire hilt.

"That works." Gabriel said with approval, "Hey, want some chocolate? You can practice using your knife on it!"

"Yeah!"

He frowned at the chocolate shop, "Milk or dark?"

"Why not both?"

Gabriel nodded, "Good point." He paid for it all plus tip…then passed out.

Zoe looked at him, then noticed her dress had been torn and had a slit like Elsa's. Then she too passed out.

Did the security guards have any idea what to do? No. But they regretted it when they went to the hotel to drop them off.

…

Adrien opened the door, "What the fuck?" His father and sister were dumped on a bed by security guards. They left fast, and only a moment later did he know why.

Felix stumbled over from where he was sleepily watching Star Wars, "Is Mama wearing a new dress?" It was true, Zoe was now wearing a tight white nightgown, and he knew she was too wasted to put it on herself.

"Yeah. I'll have to talk to security about that." He pulled out a knife and stormed after them, "ASSHOLES!"

Cue some unholy screeches until they remembered they had tasers, then realized they were dealing with a protective and pissed celebrity. They really should have just told him they had a female clerk change her.

OoOoO

"And that's how we got kicked out of the hotel." Adrien explained the next morning. They were in a new hotel now, and both Gabriel and Zoe had no memory of the previous night, and were as predicted, very crabby.

"My head…." Zoe moaned.

"It was a good cat fight!" Felix chimed in excitedly, earning a wince from both.

"What have we done…?" Gabriel complained, "I can't ground you because we probably did worse last night."

"You were being nice." Felix said worriedly, "Adri says Dada is gonna kill him."

"I'm gonna go get breakfast and some hangover cure."

"Agreed." Both hung over people agreed, laying down on the bed.

Three hours later

Adrien stood outside the door in terror.

"Do I go in?" He had been listening and it sounded like his two family members were still being nice, and vomiting occasionally and complaining of headache.

"Mama would say grow a pair." Felix said innocently.

"Would they kill me for going in, or for waiting?"

"Relax Adri," Felix assured, "It's just Mama and Fucker."

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of. They've joined forces." He took a breath and came in, dropping it off and trying to run, but Zoe blocked him.

"You! Making us suffer!" She looked to Gabriel, "Penalty time?"

He grinned evilly, "Penalty time." Adrien felt a sweat drop,

"P-Penalty?"

OoOoO

"They tied him up in their room for ten hours." Felix explained to Kagami, "Playing Justin Bieber over and over again."

Kagami shuddered, "That's scary."

Felix shrugged, "I wonder if they noticed I'm in a different hotel altogether." Kagami gaped and Felix grinned, pulling out a pink and grey necklace, "Watch this! I can fly like Mama! I'm Squeak!" There was a flash and Kagami realized this child had gotten his hands on a Miraculous, and he ran off.

"Shit."

…

Gabriel and Zoe were binging Psych, when he frowned.

"Where's Felix?"

"Off being a super spy."

"Nice Phineas and Ferb reference."

"Thank you." They paused when they heard a child's voice.

"HEY MAMA!" There was a tiny mouse superhero standing there, then Felix.

"Hey Felix, how the hell did you get that? Give me!"

Zoe swatted his arm away, "Just let him have it."

"B-But…."

"If he has it, it's in the family."

Felix grinned, "Mama!" He hugged her.

Gabriel shrugged, "A jump rope is perfect though."

They then heard Adrien shriek, "SAVE ME!" And then Felix transformed,

"I'll save you!"

Zoe giggled, "That's cute, but not good. Honey, Adri's being punished."

Squeak looked over, "It's been eleven hours."

"Oh shit." They both said in synch.

Adrien emerged and curled into a ball, "So much bad music… so hungry… strike me dead…"

"Thirty-six more hours." Zoe said apologetically. Adrien was mumbling Disney songs to himself while Felix worried for his brother/uncle's mental health.

Gabriel frowned, "How did he get a Miraculous?"

"I needed Fu to babysit him while I was fighting an akuma. So it's your fault."

Gabriel bent down beside the small child, "Felix, can I meet Fu?"

Felix frowned, "No! You're Hawky! I followed you into the creepy box room with Kitty!"

Gabriel just sighed.

Zoe threw her hands up in surrender, "I had to threaten him that I would drug him with catnip in front of Ladybug to not tell Ladybug! I did it anyway though."

"I would pay so much money to see that." Gabriel said, and then he got a video of it in his texts.

"Do his cat tendencies work outside of costume?" Zoe nodded.

"Adrien tried the ring once when Cat Noir was visiting us, and now it works on him." She pulled out a laser pointer and Adrien started chasing it. Gabriel truly laughed,

"ADRIEN, IF THIS WASN'T SO FUNNY I WOULD CALL YOU UNDIGNIFIED!"

…

Adrien groaned internally, _please go back to hating each other._

 **A/N: And there was that. Next chapter is very big and plot important.**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: So, for the record, there is a** _ **very low**_ **chance of Chat Blanc happening, but Adrien will turn to the dark side (not his father or Star Wars though) at some point later on.**

 **Here's a fun fact, the voice actors for my OCs.**

 **Zoe: Peyton List. Singing voice actress: Evynne Hollens**

 **Eli: David Gallagher. Singing voice actor: Ben Platt**

 **Eden: Hayden Panettiere**

 **And one more thing, Lila is to blame for the events of this episode instead of Chloe. AND THERE WILL BE NO FLASHBACKS, GOD! Why couldn't this be the delayed episode. Mayura isn't even in it.**

 **Anyway, let's go.**

 **Chapter 18: Mockingjay**

Now, Zoe had been having a perfectly normal day with her friends and family until there was suddenly a huge ass volcano and Stormy Weather—and now she had _Cyclone_ stuck in her head again, god fucking damnit—and the bitch was ranting about endless winter via throwing the earth off its axis and wiping out humanity.

Fireheart found her with ease, because she was going to the school. How did she know this? Because she was looking for Lila. And Lila was always in after-school detention.

Lila. Not that her lies had been exposed, she'd taken to being worse than season 1 Chloe, and so she was still a bitch. B. I. T. C. H.

"Yo ice queen! What's with all the terrorizing?" She asked, referencing the first time this episode came around.

Stormy Weather glared at her as Ladybug, Cat Noir and Tigris came to her aid. The butterfly symbol appeared over her eyes, and Fireheart expected to be hit in the face, regardless how she an Gabriel had bonded in London. But it was Tigris, and Fireheart felt a sixth sense kick in and jumped in the way of the lightning bolt.

"FIREHEART!"

The last thing she saw was the wind pick up and she felt herself get blown away.

…

Eli was at the school because it was either studying or Douglas. He had asked the art teacher for help on his current project, because he could do people, but birds' eye view was a weak point, which had a sense of irony to it.

"FIREHEART! NO!" That was when he ran off and saw the love of his life get thrown into the sky like a ragdoll. No. That was unacceptable.

He ran after her, pulling out the amulet, looking at it as he ran in the alleyway. If he did this, there was no going back.

He nodded to himself. That didn't matter. She was the most precious thing to him—the second being Felix—and his mental lifeline.

"Jaay, let's fly!"

He launched into the sky, catching her in his arms and landing gently on the ground. There was a burn mark on her temple, but he sighed in relief as she slowly opened her eyes…

…

Fireheart blinked awake, feeling a monster of a headache. But she wasn't dead. She felt safe, and like she was being carried.

Her vision cleared, and she found herself staring at the most beautiful man she had ever seen. She sat up, rubbing her head,

"Who are you?"

The man smirked wolfishly, unbefitting the bird theme he had, "I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition."

She stood up with his help, stumbling a little, "Nice _Supernatural_ reference."

"Thank you." He put two fingers under her chin, "Be careful, hatchling. I would hate for you to cripple your sweet scales."

That annoyed her, but also turned her on. This man was demonstrating all she wanted in a guy.

The sounds of the battle and Cat Noir swearing loudly and screaming bloody murder with Tigris could be heard. The man clicked his heels together and he suddenly had ice blades on the bottom of his feet.

"You can do that?!"

He shrugged, "Yeah. You don't need those potions, kwamis are gods and can do anything. They just don't like to tell. If it weren't for the fact the Miraculous was my mother's I wouldn't know."

She got a good look at him. He was stunning, and that was obvious. His costume was themed after probably a blue jay. He had on a skin-tight light grey suit with blue accents on the knees, upper arms, hands and neck. His mask was the same light blue and styled similarly to Ladybug's. He had feathery wings attacked that were visible when he spread his arms, and the feathers were white and light blue.

"Can you at least tell me your name?"

He nodded, "I'm Mockingjay."

"Nice _Hunger Games_ reference."

"Thank you again. I try. And my mother was White Sparrow, so what was I supposed to do? Just Blue Jay? That's anticlimactic." She clicked her heels together and nothing happened, "You'll need practice. But come on!"

She flew after him as he expertly dodged rouge flying flaming boulders—try saying that five times fast—jumping like an ice dancer.

"Hey Stormy!" He shouted, jumping up and flying, summoning feather-styled throwing knifes between his fingers, throwing them.

"Who's that?" Ladybug asked.

"Mockingjay." Tigris grinned, "What? I had a vision of him a long time ago. He might interfere with Eloe."

"Get back here!" Stormy Weather shouted, but Mockingjay came up behind her, slicing through the parasol with a knife and lethal accuracy. Fireheart was quite sure he wasn't new to the game. The akuma wasn't freed, but Stormy Weather couldn't use it anymore for transportation. She launched a hurricane at him and Mockingjay counteracted with a fierce wind that shot out of his hands, probably his special power, but his mixed with ice, froze and shattered the parasol, and the akuma was both freed and purified.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Everyone was set back to normal. Mockingjay came down from where he was floating.

Fireheart grinned, "I-I'm Fireh-heart! You did good." She rubbed the back of her neck, finding herself blushing, "Can you join us for patrol tonight."

Mockingjay smirked and patted her head, "Sure, hatchling."

OoOoO

Zoe flipped through articles on her laptop at the Agreste mansion—Gabriel didn't know she was here—looking for anything on Mockingjay.

Turned out he was a superhero in New York alongside Pixie Girl and the Sorcerer. But he vanished about two weeks before the Heroes' Day. Theories were about that he was captured by some terrorists pretending to be members of the government. But he was here now…? She wondered what happened.

Gabriel came in, and jumped, "Ah! Zoe… I thought you were at the bakery."

"What were you doing in here then?"

He shrugged, going to her DVD case and pulling out _The Princess Bride_ , "Natalie isn't doing well and the two of us were going to watch a movie."

"Can I join? You and I aren't hating each other right now."

He shrugged, "Yeah. How's your head?"

"Fine. The Miraculous Cure fixed it." He smiled and gestured for her to follow. But they instead went to the CCR. "Why are we here?"

Gabriel sighed, "I think it's time I gave you some information on Emilie's condition. I don't want you getting the wrong idea. There was an incident with the Peacock Miraculous, and Emilie is now in a deep sleep, falling deeper and deeper by the day. I just want to wake her up and make my family, Adrien, happy again." He looked down at her with watery eyes, "Natalie is still getting worse, and I can't stop her from using it. I'm scared I could lose her too. That's why I'm getting so desperate as to try killing you."

"I suspected it had something to do with the Peacock." Zoe said after a moment of respectful silence, placing a pink rose on the top of the coffin.

"Imagine how you would feel if something happened to Eli." She turned in horror,

"What?! No. He's my friend. Actually…I think I might be crushing on Mockingjay." She smiled sadly, "But I think there is a way to save her without all of this."

"No. This is the only way. I need the Miraculous. Maybe there was a possibility before, but would anyone help me now?" She sighed, and held his hand in hers,

"I don't have all the answers, but maybe you need to focus on the future instead of the past. You've pushed Adrien away, and it might not even be my fault that you lose him. He's given up trying to get your love, but it's not too late. For now, let's go watch a classic movie and pretend everything is okay."

Gabriel bowed his head, a tear falling down his cheek and Zoe suspected she had imagined the look of guilt on his face. But what she did know, was that she wasn't afraid of him, she actually felt safe at this moment.

"Okay. Let's go."

OoOoO

Fireheart waited on the top of the Eiffel Tower for Mockingjay. She was alone, as she had insisted she could patrol alone.

"Waiting for me, hatchling?" She turned and saw Mockingjay leaning on the rail. He stood up and walked over to her, "I've heard many things about you Fireheart. Didn't know you liked watching the stars."

"It reminds me of home." Was all she said on the topic. They both sat on the railing, and he looked down.

"Me too. My father and I used to all the time before…"

"Why did you leave New York without warning?" she asked curiously. He looked away,

"I didn't exactly have a choice. But I can't get into any details without endangering you."

She crossed her arms, "Hm." She stood on the railing, and free fell. She heard him yelp until she flew upward a singular meter before hitting the ground. And he was there, looking worried.

"Don't do that." He lectured, "Watch the pro do it." They both flew up and he started showing off while in flight.

The two laughed together as they embraced having a flying companion to share their time with, only one unaware they were star-crossed lovers.

OoOoO

Eli landed in his bedroom and practically jumped with glee. He had missed the adrenaline rush of defeating evil, and now he was doing it again! He only hoped Douglas wouldn't stop him or try anything.

No. This was good. He could tell his captor that he was doing it to get close to them and get information. Not that it was really what he was doing, but it worked.

His kwami, Jaay, emerged from his jacket. The bird-themed kwami crossed his tiny arms,

"Eli, you can't keep doing this. Not anymore."

"Why not? You always said you would help me be happy, just like Mom." Jaay huffed,

"I did. But those bastards figured out how to damage the Miraculous! This _will_ hurt you. You may feel like you're invincible, but this is fully capable of killing you. And I can't lose you like I lost your mother!"

Eli sighed, "I'm sorry Jaay. I need to do this. If I can get their trust as a superhero, maybe they'll help me save my Dad." He looked at the amulet, "All I need to do is tell her I have a Miraculous. I'm hoping she'll figure it out on her own. And not hate me."

Jaay's eyes widened, before giving a dejected sigh,

"Just like your mother. Pointless to argue with. Just promise me you'll be careful."

Eli nodded, "I promise." Then he was asleep, his dreams full of his love's bright smile and laugh.

 **A/N: So, Eli is a superhero. More will be learned about him, and the damaged Miraculous will take a toll, but it is damaged differently from what I think happened to the peacock, so it will happen differently.**

 **And Gabriel and Zoe are still being nice. Hell has frozen over. Don't worry, it won't last forever, unless you want it to.**

 **And remember to feed the author kwami!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Eli is Mockingjay, and now we're seeing the beginning of disaster.**

 **Chapter 19: A darker take on** _ **Frozen**_ **special because some of the canon episodes are utter bullshit and we know Zoe will prevent them**

Eli had been feeling weird for a week now, ever since transforming into Mockingjay for the first time since his Miraculous was taken and experimented on. Now, even in his freezing room, he didn't feel cold. He'd tried going to the doctor, but Douglas had stopped him. Hana had been wrapping him in blankets, claiming he was icy to the touch.

But on the bright side, he had spent every night flying around with Zoe and exploring. She seemed to see Mockingjay in a positive light, and he could only hope maybe there was more. They had taken to flying around and photobombing random peoples' pictures, and now they had a competition going. He was winning in quantity, but Fireheart was winning—somehow—in quality, even though she was there and gone in less than a second.

Evelyn had started a blog on all the pics, and it was catching up with the Ladyblog on popularity. What was better, the ship Firejay was now a thing, and Zoe hadn't denied it. When he'd asked at school as Eli, she seemed to forget how to speak French or English.

"Eli, for the love of marshmallows, this is a problem. Talk to Zoe, she'll be able to help you." Jaay insisted, almost pleading, "The Miraculous is damaged, I've tried to warn you." Jaay's favorite food was marshmallows, which had always been handy as they were both easy to find, and cheap.

"But wouldn't I get sick?"

"Not necessarily. But you need to be careful. You very well could die or end up hurting someone else."

Eli huffed, looking at his hands, before slipping gloves on, because his gut was telling him that was a good idea. They were dark turquoise and were more designed for fashion than warmth, but whatever.

He walked downstairs and grabbed some water, when he felt Douglas behind him—it was like a sixth sense, to be able to sense danger—and then the all too familiar hand was on his shoulder.

"What are you doing?"

"Drinking water, why? Are you planning to deprive me of basic needs now? You've already taken my freedom." He felt a hand on his throat, and another tearing one of his gloves off.

And then he understood why his gut had told him he needed the gloves.

Ice shot out of his hands, separating the two of them. Hana stood in the doorway, shocked, and Douglas looked horrified.

"How did you…?"

And Eli ran as fast as he could, ignoring Hana calling for him. What was this?! Whatever it was, it was dangerous, and knowing Zoe, she'd try to investigate, and he might hurt her or even Felix, and that was simply unacceptable.

OoOoO

Zoe and Adrien were at photoshoot with Felix that was supposed to happen last week—and their friends were watching because they were going to the bakery for dinner together—when it began to snow, hard and fast, covering the ground in seconds.

Evelyn shivered, "It's cold! Chloe, give me a coat!"

"I don't just have them on me!"

Nino shrugged "Maybe she's too used to the heat."

"Hey," Evelyn snapped, "I'm from Arizona, what can I say?" She pointed to the fountain, "Look even the waters turning to…ice." The photoshoot finished in a panic and Adrien ran over, carrying Felix and holding him protectively like any good brother-uncle,

"Do you think it's an akuma?"

"Maybe." Marinette mused aloud, "Let's go."

"Look." Zoe pointed, and they all saw someone who looked like Eli running away from the city, ice following him. "I wonder what happened. Let's go talk to Eli, he looks so sad. Maybe he has an idea. Chloe, take Felix back to the bakery." Chloe took the blonde baby and the group ran in separate directions until Zoe's group caught up with Eli—by transforming because dear god that boy could run fast—and they were now at the foot of the Pyrenees Mountains, which proved they all had some rather strong endurance.

"Hey, hold up!" Adrien called, and Eli stopped, spinning around the face them in a panic.

"You shouldn't be here." He said quickly, "Please go back home. I need to be alone. I don't want to hurt anyone."

Alya softened, "Oh… is it that bad? You must be going through a lot. Do you know what's going on?" Eli nodded meekly, shrugging a little.

"We know what that's like." Evelyn added.

"Sure, being a superhero is fun," Nino joined in, "but there are ups and downs."

Eli huffed, "Enough!" Spikes of ice appeared from the ground and almost skewered them, but were not close enough to touch, only to count as a near-death experience.

Zoe looked up from the ice, "Eli…did you…?" She gasped as her friend threw his hand out just above her,

"Look out!" Ice flew from his hand and Zoe turned to find he had turned an akuma to ice, and it shattered on the ground.

"You control ice?" Adrien grinned, "Awesome!"

"Control it?" Eli looked at his hands, "No. All I've done with it…is hurt people. It's dangerous."

"You should go home." Marinette said, "We can get you some help. Did you get hit by Stormy Weather or something?" Eli just shrugged at that. Almost like he was unsure of the answer. But wouldn't Miraculous Cure fix that? It didn't make sense.

He turned away from them and started walking away, "This is my home now. I can't go back. Paris is safer with me away."

"Not safer for you!" Evelyn begged, and a giant ice wall formed between them and their friend. From the other side, they heard footsteps and Eli's voice, and he sounded both parts terrified and desperate.

"Please, go away!"

"Eli…" Zoe breathed, placing a hand on the wall of ice.

"You gotta let him go." Alya said, "He wants to be alone."

"I hear you." She said, "But I wanted to know why he was so sad. How long has he been able to do that? Do you think it was Stormy Weather? Would Mockingjay know?"

"And how is that any of your business?" They all turned, "Read the room. I'll take care of your dear friend, Eli, so don't you worry." It was Hawk Moth, or at least a projection of him. He must have figured out how to communicate through the akumas or something.

"Why are you after Eli?" Adrien asked, going defensive.

"Nobody is going to hurt him." Hawk Moth assured, "But I'm not here for your meddling. Stay here and behave." There was a flash, and the ice wall broke down and started building around them.

"It's gonna wall us in!" Nino panicked, and Zoe ran at the semi-transparent villain.

"HAWK MOTH!" But it was too late. They were trapped. "Anybody see a way out?"

"No, not me." Alya mused, helping Nino hit a thinner wall.

"We can't stay in here." Adrien said, "Not only will we freeze to death, Eli's in _real_ trouble now."

Zoe crossed her arms, "Hawky said he wasn't going to hurt him, but I trust that man as much as I like him." She perked up, trying to ignore that she actually didn't hate him as much, "Blazze, wings out!" She transformed and looked to the wall Alya and Nino were attacking, pulling out her sword and cutting through it, melting the ice with a quickness. They left as Marinette, Adrien and Evelyn transformed to pick up ground.

"See him?"

Nino pointed up the mountain, "I think he went up in that direction."

"Okay," Tigris nodded, "let's go!"

OoOoO

Eli walked up the mountain, humming quietly. Jaay sat on his shoulder with a look of strong disapproval,

"You're making the wrong choice. Those people could help you, pushing them away will only hurt you."

"Better that than risk them getting hurt, especially my princess and son. I couldn't bear it if something happened to them."

Jaay huffed, "I get it, you love her, your mother was the same way, but there is no good for you to run off into the mountains."

"I'm not staying here forever, just until I get a handle on this."

He continued humming quietly, coming to the edge of a cliff leading to another ledge. Perfect. Time to test out _Frozen_. He threw his hands out and a staircase really did appear, and when he ran up, it worked just like the movie. That was cool. Time for ice castle. He stomped his foot on the ground. That worked too.

And last but not least, the outfit, because this was more out of curiosity than anything. God damn, that worked too! And it was even made of fabric! It wasn't a dress, it was a long shirt and pants with a similar style to Elsa's dress—like a genderbend, except Eli still had chocolate colored hair and violet eyes—and the cape he accidentally created and hoped he wouldn't trip on.

Okay, maybe this wouldn't be terrible. He could clearly handle himself.

Smiling sadly as he looked out from his balcony, knowing deep down that he would never see his friends or Felix or Zoe again, he shut the doors.

While that was happening

The snowstorm was picking up extremely quickly, and the team knew they needed to find Eli hastily, because Alya and Nino were freezing fast, and even the transformed heroes were getting cold.

They then heard a voice than only Cat Noir could make out, if not only vaguely.

"Hm?"

Fireheart turned to her brother, "What?"

Cat Noir perked up, moving faster while still supporting a shivering Nino on his back, "That's Eli's voice! This way!"

"Is he singing _Let It Go_?" Fireheart asked, "Because I will fucking kill him. They put that song in _Kingdom Hearts 3_ and I'm still a bit bitter."

"No. It seems like he's talking to someone. Maybe himself, because I can't really make it out. Something about 'my princess' so I would assume he's talking about you."

They picked up the pace and saw an ice palace forming, and Eli emerged, looking outside from the balcony, before going inside.

"Look at that." Tigris mused.

"Wow." Fireheart smiled a little, "I don't know what I just saw, but wow. That was Eli?"

"He looked different." Ladybug said.

"And a lot happier too." Alya replied, leaning on Ladybug for support. Fireheart had wrapped then both in her fire shields to prevent frostbite or hypothermia, but that did not mean they weren't cold. Nino had taken it harder than Alya and was still being carried.

"Let's go ask what happened."

Hawk Moth appeared again, "Please don't tell me you're spying on him now."

Cat Noir crossed his arms, "Don't turn around on us. _You're_ following him."

"Oh, look at you, getting all sassy." He shrugged, "Okay. I'll admit Eli Sommers is a person of interest for me." He looked up at the ice palace, "Just look how icy this palace is, made of magic he got and ran upon realizing. What if it's dark magic? It would be perfect for my akuma."

"Eli would never rely on darkness! Especially your ass!"

"Actually, it's still too early to call. It all depends on how _he_ sees it. If he believes his magic is dark, then that's what it will become. What will he accept? Light or dark? I know I want to know."

Fireheart sent him a death glare, "Well good for you! But guess what. I won't let him! I won't let your old gross boner get away with this!"

"It's his decision to make," Hawk Moth snapped, "Not yours." He clapped his hands together and the akuma grew in size, causing large gusts of wind. When did he learn to do that?!

"Hawk Moth!" Ladybug roared.

"You want to help him, Fireheart? Then stop trying to be his hero! Let him figure things out his own way!" They screamed as they were all sent flying back down the mountain, and Fireheart wrapped them all in her shields and snatched Ladybug's yoyo, wrapping all the pods and flying upward, having them land gently at the bottom.

"Thanks Zo…" Alya said, rubbing her head.

"Okay." Ladybug crossed her arms, "We should go to Master Fu about this, he'll be able to help, and maybe tell us how Eli got this power anyway. And we need some winter supplies." They ran back to the city with a speed faster than a jet thanks to be superheroes. Ladybug knocked on the door and Master Fu opened,

"I assume you're here about the freak winter."

"Yup." Nino said, "Our friend, Eli, developed ice powers and went all _Frozen_ on us."

"What? Come inside." They obeyed, and the old man poured some tea, "So, how did this happen?"

"We don't know." Evelyn said, "We asked him, and he just shrugged and ran off."

"This isn't good. You need to find him, fast."

"Why? I mean we're going to," Alya said, "But any specific reason."

"Because it would be one thing if he had been born with the powers, which would mean he would have become used to the natural cold while in the womb, but it sounds like he got cursed with this power, and it's getting stronger. It won't be long before it becomes too much for him to handle and it takes a toll, and not long after, takes his life."

"So, he's both Elsa _and_ Anna." Zoe drawled sarcastically, but nobody missed the fear in her tone, "Shit. Let's go."

"Hold on." Adrien took her hand, "It's the middle of the night. We should go back to the bakery and go in the morning."

"But Eli could die!" She snapped, "He's my friend."

"You will be of no help to him if you get frostbite or hypothermia." Blazze said, "I'd say he has a couple days before the side effects kick in, but he's safe for at least tonight. But this Miraculous will save his life. The suit has an inner fire, hence why you were unaffected in the mountains, and can withstand any temperature, hot or cold, so if you have him use it, he will be warmed."

"You're correct Blazze." Master Fu said, pulling out the Miracle Box, "Zoe Agreste, choose another Miraculous to temporarily use." Adrien took the Snake Miraculous.

"Zoe, you can become LadyNoir, I'll use this." Master Fu looked startled, but nodded his approval,

"That will work."

They walked to the bakery and saw Felix in a bundle of blankets, curled up asleep between Tom and Sabine. Alya and Nino waved goodbye, saying they'd meet in the park in the morning, and Sabine got up,

"You're back! Where were you? Chloe said you went after Eli for something."

"Eli's been cursed somehow," Evelyn said, "He'll die in a couple days if we don't find him. We know _where_ he is, but it will take time to get there. We're leaving in the morning with as much warm stuff as possible."

"That's not good." Tom said, still holding Felix as he stood up. The baby could sleep on his shoulder while the man was bending over. Zoe didn't know if that meant Tom had large shoulders, Felix was tiny, or both. Tom was gathering ingredients to make soup and throwing them in the pot. Sabine put them all in their respective rooms,

"Now you guys get some sleep," she said softly but firmly, "I don't want you hiking up a mountain while tired."

All of them hit the pillow and were out like a light.

…

Except Eden, who frowned deeply. She already knew Eli was Mockingjay—thank you Jeremy Zag and his spoilers—but this was new, and she was scared he would really die, because he wasn't a main character to her knowledge, just Zoe's love interest with a very interesting and depressing backstory.

"Roari, I hope he'll be okay."

…

Hawk Moth growled. He had been hoping locking Zoe in the ice prison would keep her safe and she wouldn't go after the boy who developed the power an akuma.

He couldn't tell Natalie he had grown to care for her. Because he knew it wouldn't last, but it hurt right now, and he wanted it gone.

She reminded him of Emilie. They were both dramatic, protective, and for the love the were both actresses! And god ones at that. Zoe was like an onion, she had many layers. Gabriel had though there was only the layer of an annoying bitch until he had gotten to know her.

If he didn't know better, he'd say Emilie came back to him in this girl who was becoming too much like a daughter for his liking.

…

Douglas didn't know what to do. Eli was far too much of a threat now with this ice magic, and if he could stand up for himself, then they couldn't control him even with his father's life.

So obviously, the most logical conclusion was to have him killed.

"Mr. Mayor, my nephew is an…erratic boy." He said, as falsely reluctant as he could, "He tried to attack me before running. I think this power is like that of an akuma, he is a danger to others and should be terminated."

The mayor looked taken aback, "You wish to have your own nephew killed?!"

"You choose. Either one boy dies, or the rest of Paris freezes in this winter. That boy is not my nephew, not anymore at least. Maybe defeating him is the only way to bring the real Eli home. But those superheroes won't do it, I've observed at least the fire girl has a soft spot for him."

Mr. Bourgeois huffed, "Fine. Roger," the officer looked to him, "Get a team of SWAT ready. You'll leave tomorrow."

"Of course."

OoOoO

Morning came, and Zoe was up, bouncing around the bakery with the energy of a child that ate too much candy. But her energy came from nervous adrenaline more than anything, and some coffee.

Everyone else was drowsy and were all drinking coffee.

"Come on! We need to go!" They were all wearing winter hiking clothes and rugged boots, themed for their superhero persona, except Zoe, since she was wearing the Cat Miraculous, she was wearing black, and Adrien, wearing the Snake Miraculous, was wearing turquoise.

They made it to the park and saw Nino, Alya and Chloe had been given their Miraculouses, and were following the superhero theme.

Chloe held up some car keys and revealed a BMW with all-wheel drive.

"How did you get that?" Alya asked.

"Daddy got it for me because I asked him too. He said he'll have the cops turn a blind eye on the fact we're all fifteen, or fourteen in Evelyn's case. And it's a sports car, so we can get there even faster."

Zoe snatched the keys and got in the driver seat, "Get your asses in. Dad taught me to drive one of these things."

"Zoe…we're screwed, aren't we?" Marinette said.

"No. We will be fine. Now come on, or I'll leave without you."

Cue grumbling from everyone. Evelyn handed out pens and pieces of paper, and they all began writing their will on it. Adrien was in the passenger seat. "Ready?"

Zoe slammed on the pedal and they went flying down the streets.

 _We're coming, Eli._

OoOoO

They made it to the base of the mountain after about an hour of driving at top speeds, going over the speedometer easily. And somehow nobody was dead. Though Chloe was vomiting in a bush.

"Okay. It didn't take long as superheroes. Maybe we should transform?" Plagg flew up to her and huddled in her hair, ice crystals forming on him.

"It's freezing."

"Yeah," Marinette agreed, "And it will only get colder. StalagTikki, Spots on!"

They all used the winter transformations and LadyNoir wished Mockingjay was here. He'd know what to do, and probably had some way of teleporting up the mountain. That and she enjoyed being in the company of her newfound crush. Get to know him better.

The hike wasn't too bad. Tigris looked like a fluffy white kitten since her suit had turned white and was fluffy and too adorable to have any form of intimidation associated with it. Aside from the occasional snow-slide, they were making good time.

"Zoe," Aspik—Adrien—asked, "Why are you doing this?"

LadyNoir turned, "I want to save my friend and Paris, what else?"

Carapace smirked playfully, "Maybe the strapping man we have to rescue?"

She turned, "One more word like that out of any of you and I will let myself have my stabby way with you."

"I don't know what sounds worse," Queen Bee muttered to herself just loud enough to be heard, "the interpretation of that with innuendo, or without."

LadyNoir just grumbled and murmured gibberish just violent sounding enough to make them all shut up.

They stopped for a lunch break around noon and by then they had almost made it up the mountain.

"I hope Hawky didn't decide to do anything." Aspik said bitterly, looking up at the ice palace in the distance.

"Let's find out." LadyNoir pulled out her baton and called Hawk Moth,

"We could just do that?!" Ladybug asked, somewhat horrified she hadn't thought of it sooner.

"He removed the tracking feature after last time I called him, but yeah." Hawk Moth appeared on the screen

" _What is it—what? Why are you using Cat Noir's Miraculous again?"_

"Because I can. I just wanted to make sure you hadn't done anything to Eli."

Hawk Moth rolled his eyes, _"Not yet. It seems the SWAT agents are going there with the intent to kill him, so I need to wait."_

"WHAT?!" LadyNoir hung up and broke into a sprint, slipping a couple times on the snow and ice, but make it to the ice palace and barreled in.

"Eli! Where are you?! You're in danger, please come out!"

"Zoe?" LadyNoir looked up and saw Eli on the stairs, "What are you doing here?" He looked amazing. The outfit really suited him, but she didn't have time to think about that right now. In accords to his health, he looked fine, but who knew when that would change.

"I came to get you. The guardian, Master Fu, he can break the curse with this magic. You'll die if you don't. That, and SWAT is coming for you."

"Why would they come for me?" He asked, looked behind her and noticing the others coming in.

"I…don't know how to tell you this…" Tigris said, "But—"

"You froze Paris!" Aspik said bluntly, trying to hurry like his sister, because he didn't want to run from SWAT agents for a second time in the same number of years.

Eli's eyes widened, and he started backing up the stairs, "What? No…" He ran up the stairs and LadyNoir followed him, trailed by the others.

"Eli, please, if we remove the curse, then the ice will thaw. It's a win win."

…

Eli looked down at the amulet around his neck that was now disguised with a snowflake on it.

"You can't break my curse." He said quietly, but Zoe—or LadyNoir in this given moment—was able to hear it.

"Sure, we can. I've done crazier shit."

"Princess, please," he begged, feeling himself start to lose control, "You'll only make it worse! You're not safe here, none of you are! Just leave me, I'm fine!"

Queen Bee walked up, "Don't panic. We can fix this."

"I CAN'T!" He felt ice explode out of him and jerked to face his friends and the love of his life, dead terrified he'd just hurt them.

Carapace had gathered them all behind his shield, and Aspik moved from behind it,

"We're not leaving you here to die."

Eli looked up from where he had fallen to his knees, "Yes…you are…I can't risk hurting you like I just did."

"If you summon Marshmallow, I swear to god…" Rena Rouge murmured dryly. They heard a pounding downstairs and SWAT agents came in from the balcony and from downstairs.

"Freeze!" The commander ordered, "Superheroes, stand back."

"What are you doing?!" LadyNoir roared, brandishing her claws and baring her teeth.

"We've gotten a report that he attacked his uncle and is now a monster, not human. Don't let him deceive you."

"That's horseshit!" Eli snapped putting an arm in front of LadyNoir, to protect her.

A gun fired at him.

But the bullet was trapped in layers of ice before it even came close to touching. Eli grinned and looked to his friends with a look of apology. He then let his ice loose on the attackers,

"Stay away from me!" He was winning, easily, because they tried to fight the Snow Prince on his own turf. Controlling the ice wasn't hard when he was _trying_ to use it, when he didn't want to use it was when it became a problem, as it was heavily tied to his emotions.

But none of them noticed Douglas until it was too late, he snuck up behind and pointed a gun at Tigris' head. The girl squirmed but was locked in a grip Eli knew far too well.

"Eli, surrender." He said in a voice that brooked no argument, "This isn't you." Aspik ran forward, but the older man sent him a look that stopped the snake-themed hero. LadyNoir looked livid and pained, and that was all Eli could take. Nobody hurt his friends and got away with it.

"Carapace, I can't control it!" Carapace understood what that was code for, and Eli let another explosion of ice free of his body, releasing Tigris and sending all the SWAT agents backwards, and Douglas had an ice spike in his knee.

Something was wrong. Or wronger, if that was a word. He had just gone from not cold at all to freezing in seconds. But it wasn't the cold of being at the top of a mountain and in an ice castle, this was something else entirely. Was the curse over?

He dully heard his princess scream is name before he slipped from consciousness.

…

"ELI!" LadyNoir ran to his side, shaking him. He was so cold, and so pale. Streaks of his hair turned white and she frowned. Unlike what movies said about this, it had nothing to do with magic, but the condition the magic caused. It was killing the cells in his body, including the Melanin—Melanin was the source of the pigment in hair—causing the starlit white color. It looked cool, but it was not good for him in any way.

A SWAT agent tried to come closer, but she was having none of it, "Cataclysm!" She held out her hand imbued with the power of Destruction, "Come near him and I will not hesitate to kill you."

"Woah, Ms. Noir, we weren't here to kill, contrary to what the boy's uncle demanded for reasons unknown. We were here to take him to you and the other superheroes, so you could help him or purify the akuma."

LadyNoir softened, "Where's Douglas?" He wasn't anywhere.

"Some other men took him for medical help. But what he did by threatening your friend was not a part of protocol, or even allowed, something that will be mentioned to the mayor. This boy will be getting a talking to about if he's being abused at this rate."

LadyNoir nodded as the man left, and pulled out her backpack, slipping the Dragon Miraculous onto Eli's neck. Blazze emerged,

"I can give him some heat, but that's it, he won't be able to transform like this."

"What happened?" Carapace asked, "He seemed fine before."

"He was also supposed to have until tomorrow before the side effects kicked in." Blazze replied, "He used too much offensive power too fast, and it made the toll take less time to be known."

LadyNoir picked Eli up, her eyes widening, "He weighs nothing." She lifted him a couple times, "I could pick up a microwave with more effort." She shook her head, "But that isn't our top priority." She looked outside, "It's going to get dark soon, we won't make it back down the mountain before sunset, even with our suits. We need to set up camp."

They walked outside and saw the SWAT folks were gone. Queen Bee cursed,

"We could have used a helicopter as a ride to save him faster."

Ladybug and Tigris ran ahead, and came back within ten minutes,

"We found a dry cave." Tigris said happily, "It's not far from here."

They made it to the cave and detransformed, so they wouldn't exhaust their respective kwamis. Sass, the snake kwami, was doing some sort of meditation with them to ensure they had energy and warmth through the night.

Zoe started a campfire and set Eli beside it, having wrapped him in blankets. She pulled out a mouth thermometer and checked his temperature. A person's body temperature was one of the most accurate ways to determine the severity of his or her condition. A person with severe hypothermia would have a body temperature below 82 Fahrenheit—or 28 Celsius.

Eli's temperature was 75 Fahrenheit (24 Celsius), meaning he should be very dead. But she was so grateful he wasn't, even if he was on the brink and so grey she wasn't sure he would remain breathing.

 _Okay._ She took a deep breath. She needed to be strong. This… was like hypothermia plus magic… yeah! She was a CERT, and in the process had gotten medical training, she was trained to handle hypothermia, that was manageable.

Well, he was dealing with magical shit. But hey, she needed to cope in some way. He was her friend and seeing him so grey and vulnerable made her shake, knowing she hadn't been emotionally prepared for this, having convinced herself they'd get there in time.

For hypothermia, the condition could cause poor judgement, confusion, and changes in behavior in the person. The affected person might not realize they had hypothermia and would need to be checked to confirm their condition. Eli clearly knew what was up and was leaning on her, falling asleep in her arms, only half conscious. She still had a hand at both his easy accessed pulse-points and ensure he was still with her.

A person with moderate hypothermia would usually stop shivering completely and may have slurred speech. They could try to shed their clothing even though they were cold. Those were signs the condition was deteriorating and required immediate medical attention. Eli seemed too weak to do anything much, but the not-shivering was very present.

Bring the person to the hospital if they were unconscious and had a weak pulse. These were signs of severe hypothermia. Someone with severe hypothermia may appear to be dead, but it was important to call emergency services right away to determine if they were in a state of hypothermia and could still be treated. This was a life-threatening situation. Check.

She sighed. He clearly had a severe condition. Ladybug—who had transformed to use Lucky Charm—was warming the soup over the fire.

Move the person out of the cold. Place him in a room-temperature spot indoors. If going indoors wasn't possible, protect the person from the wind with other clothing, especially around the neck and head. Use towels, blankets, or other clothing to protect the person from the cold ground.

Eli was wrapped up like an infant in blankets and coats of those who were transformed, so that worked.

Don't let the person help in their own treatment, as this would only expend more of their energy and worsen their condition. He was obviously too weak to do that.

Remove any wet clothing. Replace their wet clothing with warm, dry clothing or blankets. His clothes were completely dry, and even made of fabric—that was really cool actually.

Warm the person's core up gradually. Avoid rewarming the person too quickly with a heating lamp or a hot bath. Instead, apply warm, dry compresses to the center of their body, on their neck, chest, and groin area. Do not attempt to warm his arms, hands, and legs. Heating or massaging these limbs could cause stress on his heart and lungs and could lead to other serious health issues. Do not try to warm up the person by rubbing his body with your hands. This would only irritate his skin and cause shock to his body.

Adrien sent her a worried look as she continued thinking through her training.

Give the person warm, sweet non-alcoholic drinks. Ask him if he could swallow before offering him any liquids or food. Herbal tea that was caffeine-free or hot water with lemon and honey were good options. Sugar in the beverage can help to boost their energy. You can also offer high energy foods like chocolate. Well, this was Zoe Agreste, so it went without saying that she had chocolate. Avoid giving the person alcohol as it will slow down the rewarming process.

She shook his shoulder gently, and Eli looked up through half-lidded eyes,

"Hm?"

"C-Ca…" she sucked in a breath. It was easy to do stuff like this on a dummy or imagine it. With Adrien and his head injury back when Style Queen was around, she had been running on rage and adrenaline. But Eli…there was no more threat, just him and her, with him dying and they couldn't make it back to Fu before tomorrow. If her Dragon Miraculous wasn't the only thing keeping him alive, she'd be using it and flying to Fu, but the chances of him dying in her arms were too high to risk. "Do you think you can swallow?"

"Maybe?" He shrugged, and his words were slightly slurred as he leaned in for warmth, "Princess, leave me… I don't want to hurt you."

"And that's the poor judgement of hypothermia talking. I'm not leaving you any time soon. And even if you were Michael's vessel, I wouldn't lock you in a box and throw you in the ocean."

"That's an oddly specific example." Alya said worriedly. Evelyn was sketching.

"What are you drawing?" Marinette asked.

"That." The younger girl pointed to Eli and Zoe, "Perfect fanfiction material." Zoe sent her unknown-sister a dark look,

"Don't you fucking dare. I told a lightning bolt to the head for you. Nino, pass me the broth." Nino obeyed, and Zoe sat Eli up a little, pouring a tiny bit of the hot liquid into his mouth. He swallowed, if not slower than normal.

Chloe brightened and pulled out her phone, "Daddy! You sent the SWAT team after Eli?! Yeah, well now he's become Elsa and Anna _at the same time_ and is on the brink and we're in a cave in the middle of fuck fuck nowhere in the snow and said SWAT team just _left_ us here! I expect a helicopter as fast as possible." She hung up, "At last, a way to use my spoiledness for good."

"Is that even a word?" Plagg asked.

"Princess…" Eli's voice was so quiet, barely a breath, that nobody heard him.

"It is now." Chloe said, "But the helicopter will be here in three hours or so by the ice palace."

Zoe smiled, "Hear that, Eli? You're gonna get through this." No response. "Eli?" Nothing. She checked his pulse. Negative. "Eli!" He wasn't breathing either.

She refused to let that happen now, when they were so close.

He was laid flat and she immediately started performing CPR. She tilted his head back and lifted his chin, placing her mouth piece over his nose and mouth—like an oxygen mask that could be breathed into, but the air didn't escape—and gave two one-second breaths.

After five minutes, she was growing desperate. She was supposed to be switching, but nobody else knew what to do. Her tears were freezing to her cheeks.

Adrien put a hand on her shoulder, "I-I think it's too late."

"Please Eli, don't leave…" She shrieked in frustration and threw off the mouth piece, locking his lips with hers.

Eli coughed, coming back to life, opening his eyes a little,

"Princess?"

Zoe nodded and almost cried with relief. She shed her winter coat and wrapped him in it, then discarding her grey beanie, placing it on his head,

"Just hang in there." He smiled, and she held him tight, "It will be okay…"

She didn't notice Evelyn scrutinizing the amulet.

"Zoe, come on, you're tired. Let me handle Eli." Adrien said, reaching for the dying boy, when Zoe literally snapped at him with her teeth,

"No. I'm fine. I'm the only one that knows CPR and I'm not waking up to news of his death." Eli was out cold—pun not intended, but Adrien would have been proud—and she was still constantly checking his pulse.

Chloe came running in, "The helicopter can be seen!"

Zoe sighed in relief, transforming and picking up Eli in the bundle of things to keep him warm.

The helicopter was waiting for them and the team hopped in. Mayor Bourgeois was there,

"Honey!" He saw Eli, "Is he…"

"He's alive." LadyNoir said defensively, "But only just. We need to get to the hospital, but I have a detour when we get to the city."

The flight was only an hour, but it felt like an eternity. They landed on the roof of the hotel and LadyNoir leapt off into the night, landing at Master Fu's place.

"Fu!"

Master Fu looked up, "Zo—set him down!" She obeyed readily as watched the old man brewing a potion of some sort, which he had Eli drink,

"Iacháu'r bachgen hwn, torri ei iachad. Gwyrthiol yn cael ei ddifrodi dim mwy."

Eli then looked a bit healthier. His hair still had streaks of white, but he was less death grey rather than simply pale. He opened his eyes,

"P-Princess?" His eyes rolled into the back of his head and Wayzz smiled.

"He's still dangerously cold. He needs to be in the hospital. The ice won't continue, but there is still some that needs thawing."

"Okay." LadyNoir nodded her thanks and ran to the hospital, and everything was a blur of people and cursing and Eli.

And then Douglas was there.

"Sir, your nephew is just out of critical condition." Dr. Winston begged, "He can't leave yet!"

"He's my nephew!" Douglas snapped, "I choose!"

LadyNoir walked over, "What? Eli almost died!"

"So? I was put in charge of him."

Dr. Winston sighed, "Sorry miss. He can take Eli."

LadyNoir glared, "Fine."

OoOoO

"ELI!" Zoe shrieked, shaking before running to the toilet and vomiting. She dreamed she hadn't been able to save him, and her hands were now shaking as her small body was wracked with sobs.

Blazze flew over, "Zoe, you okay?" She had gotten her Miraculous back when Eli was stable. She ran off to the window, "Wings out!" She ran to Eli's home and leapt through the open window.

She jerked back.

Eli was asleep, and his hair _still_ had streaks of white in it—she'd been hoping they'd be gone by now. But he only had a comforter, and he was wearing a T-shirt and boxers. That was unacceptable.

She ran back out and to the store, buying an electric blanket, warmer blankets, and some warmer pajamas.

"Um… Miss Fireheart?" The Target employee asked, "May I ask…?"

"See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." Was all she said, leaving twenty euros and flying off and back to Eli, who was still way too cold.

She slipped the pajamas on him and wrapped him up in the blankets and plugging in the electric blanket.

Fireheart smiled, content with him being okay. She turned to leave when she felt someone grab her. She turned and saw Eli was staring at her,

"Hey Princess. Thank you."

She grinned, "No problem. Get some sleep, you need it. I'll be back as soon as possible." She noticed he was still wearing her beanie, and she couldn't bring herself to ever ask for it back; she could make a new one.

OoOoO

Eden walked into Eli's room after Linda the maid let her in. Eli was sleeping in a mound of blankets that she knew were Zoe's doing.

"Eli?" Eli looked up at her and she helped him sit up, "I brought you some hot treats from the bakery."

"T-Thanks."

"You're Mockingjay, aren't you? And the Miraculous was damaged?" Eli jerked to face her.

"Please don't tell Zoe."

She paused, confused. But she had to respect his wishes, because she herself was keeping her identity from Zoe. But she'd ask questions. But for now, she realized he was not in great shape and needed rest.

"I'm here for you, Eli. Just get some more rest. But we're talking later." On the bright side, Zoe being in love with Mockingjay was fine for Eloe.

Eli fell back asleep and a bird-themed kwami appeared.

"Fucking finally!" The kwami said, "I'm Jaay, nice to meet you."

Roari came out, "This day just got stranger."

"Yeah." Eden agreed, "I should have waited until he was better. But whatever."

…

Hana watched Evelyn Autumn staying with Eli. She would be able to help him, and maybe get him to confess to Zoe! That poor boy deserved freedom and happiness, not this.

Douglas was pissed, but after the cops debated charging him with child abuse, he decided to not do anything about it, just business as usual. But Hana knew poor Harrison would pay the price.

She sighed, she wished Zoe had been the one to find out, but Evelyn would be nice. Someone to talk to was all he needed.

Hana just prayed nothing more would go wrong.

 **A/N: And because we know Zoe's gonna intervene with akumas, this has happened, and will be referenced in the future.**

 **And remember to please please please feed Cheeto!**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Okay, I need to say this. DO NOT PM ME ABOUT** _ **OF OTHER WORLDS**_ **! Yes, I gave the author permission to use Zoe as a character. I do not care what said author does with the character. I got** **49** **PMs about the events of Chapter 9, and now three more about chapter 11 on the topic of Eli. I don't know, and even if I did, I won't tell because that would be rude to the author. So please stop asking and DO NOT PUT REVIEWS ABOUT IT. I have had to delete ten, name it TEN, reviews on the subject.**

 **If people want to use Zoe as a character in their story, there are now rules.**

 **Ask my permission**

 **Give me a link to said fanfiction**

 **No fan of both stories under any circumstances can communicate with me about a story that isn't MINE.**

 **Do not give the author hate should something happen to Zoe in that story.**

 **That last one is a serious issue, I literally got a death threat THREE TIMES when I do something to Zoe. All three were taken down and names will not be disclosed. And I checked the comments in** _ **Of Other Worlds**_ **and it wasn't pretty.**

 **There are 50,000 of us now, that is amazing, but please please please don't be vicious, even if you are passionate.**

 ***deep breaths* Alright. Just had to get that off my chest.**

 **And now a funny story featuring one of my lovely fans that I met, and she didn't know it.**

 **So, I was getting a haircut, as you do, and I was spacing out, thinking about how I want to do this chapter and writing out my ideas, when I notice the woman is talking. About Fireheart. I am not kidding at all, this** _ **happened**_ **. She went on and on for about an hour and I found myself both flattered and scared, because she was pissed as hell about Gabriel trying to kill Zoe. She probably would have dyed my hair orange if she had learned of it.**

 **So, Kendal, that little brunette teenager you did a haircut on 2/21/19 around 5pm, that was me.**

…

 **And now that that's out of the way, I totally had a missed opportunity for the** _ **Frozen**_ **chapter!**

 **Douglas: Oh Eli, if only there was somebody who loved you**

 **Zoe: *barges in* Excuse you! You wanna try that again, asshole.**

 **Adrien: *hiding in the doorway* Oh shit, did he just—oh fuck, here we go.**

 **This is dedicated to the fucking week-long blizzard in my area that started up again today. School will reopen never. Also, I probably won't do all of the akumas and just jump to the end in the near future of like ten chapters.**

 **Eloe/Firejay fluff shall happen in this chapter.**

 **Credit to ChristiRose13 for helping me with parts of the chapter (we shall be working together a lot because she is my best friend)**

 **Chapter 20: Of Snowmageddon, Princesses, and Foreshadowing**

It turned out Eli getting ice powers had nothing to do with the freak winter. It had been forecast it would snow, and Eli's power just sped it up. Now it had been snowing nonstop for a full day and there was a foot of snow.

Zoe crossed her arms, holding the signed letter from the mayor. She knocked on Eli's door and Linda opened it.

"Zoe! It's great to see you!" She grinned broadly, "What do you need? Do you need an update on Eli? Want to stay forever?"

"I'm here for Eli." She said cheerfully, because while Douglas would _forever_ be on her shit list, Linda genuinely wished for Eli's happiness. She held up the letter, "By decree of the mayor, Eli is to spend every weekend and school break with the Dupain-Chengs until they are sure Doug isn't abusing him."

Linda sighed in relief and took the letter to show to Douglas. There was some loud swearing and Douglas came out,

"Listen young lady, I get you care about my nephew, but this is quite unnecessary. He's still on bedrest here."

"Yeah." She snapped, but still sounded polite, "And you took him out of the hospital, and Fireheart came by and was very disappointed in you with the lack of warm things. So, I'm taking him." She pulled out her phone, "Or do you need to talk to the mayor?" Mr. Bourgeois actually felt bad about sending the SWAT when the heroes could handle it, and almost causing the boy's death. Chloe only had to suggest that method of atonement.

Douglas sighed, "He's upstairs."

"Thank you." She walked upstairs and saw Eli reading quietly in the nest of blankets. He looked up, still looking weary, but he was happy.

"Princess! What brings you?" She smirked and picked him up, blankets and all.

"You're staying with me for a while. And judging by the fact school will reopen never, you might just stay with the Dupain-Chengs forever." She walked outside, still carrying him bridal style, "And dear god, we are gonna fatten you up. Wings out." They were in an alleyway when she transformed and leapt through Marinette's skylight.

Felix saw him while playing with Adrien and jumped up, hugging him, "Dada!"

Eli grinned, leaning in for warmth, as he was still cold, "Hey Fe, how're you doing?"

"Good." The child suddenly beamed, holding out his necklace, "Look! I have a necklace like you! But mine lets me be a superhero!" A mouse themed kwami appeared,

"I'm Mullo. Pleasure. Don't worry, I'll take care of your kid."

Eli looked up at her, "When did he…?"

"I needed Fu to babysit and this little thief stole it!" Eli laughed,

"He really is our son then. Little thief." Zoe would steal food on her home world—and Mockingjay knew that and so did Eli—and Eli had stolen Nadja's memory chip on her camera.

"I'm a thief!" Felix said happily, snuggling between his surrogate parents.

Zoe giggled, "I need to take Dada downstairs to the others, so he can get warm, okay?"

"Okay! Dada is subzero!" Adrien smiled warmly, opening the trapdoor for them. Sabine and Tom turned from the movie they were watching and helped them down, even though carrying Eli really wasn't a hassle, even though he begged to be put down.

"Princess, I'm no Disney Princess! I can walk!"

Sabine put a hand on his forehead, "You're freezing, and running a fever. Sit him down." Zoe set him on the couch and Eli just groaned.

"Either I'm alone, or I'm being mother-henned."

Felix had a doctor's kit, which was supposed to be a toy, but no longer was because he was too smart for his own good. He started running tests and the fact he was eight months old made it very adorable.

"Dada, you need fluids!" Felix gave him some water and Eli drank it as his surrogate son looked him over.

Sabine giggled, "How about we turn on a movie."

Felix frowned, "But why does Dada have white hair like Anna in _Frozen_?" Eli blanched,

"No, I am Dada, not a Disney Princess." Zoe smirked and turned on said Disney movie.

Adrien crossed his arms, "What's wrong with being a Disney Princess?" Eli narrowed his eyes.

"How am I supposed to win over the girl of my dreams if she thinks I'm adorable!?" Zoe jerked to face him.

"Adorkable. And what? Girl of your dreams?"

And then Eli wanted death and wished the ice had gotten him, "Kill me." He shrugged, "Uh… Sabine said I have a fever! I'm delirious!" Mullo gave a long and pained sigh.

Felix blinked innocently as Zoe just took that as an answer, "Who knew Mama could be dumb?" He grinned "Dada, Mama said you were also Elsa. Did you sing _Let It Go_?" Zoe crossed her arms challengingly at that.

"Did you?"

Eli knew saying yes to that would not only be a lie, he would die a horrible death. While Zoe didn't mind the song, he knew that, she was bitter with how popular it was and would be annoyed that he sang it in that context, no matter how fitting. So, he answered honestly, "NO!"

Adrien was laughing, and Eli knew he debated abusing his super-hearing and lying, saying that he did sing the song. But he also knew Adrien wasn't that cruel… yet.

Mariette joined in the laughter and pointed to the movie, "Eli, ignore the first half of the movie with the coronation, the true love and the trolls, and this is basically what happened. Tell us again that you are not a Disney Princess."

"I. Was. Not. A. DISNEY. PRINCESS!"

Zoe laughed, sipping cocoa, "You're right. You were two." Eli glared and gave her the finger. Adrien joined in,

"And that makes Zoe your valiant Prince." Zoe just nodded her approval.

"I'm a self-rescuing princess, bitch." Eli knew that was very true, so he just nuzzled up with Tom and embraced the body heat radiating off the baker.

OoOoO

A day passed and neither the snow or Eli was getting any better. And Zoe had had enough. She still had questions that needed answering.

So, she took him back to Fu.

"Yo, why was Eli cursed?" She demanded, putting Eli and his nest of blankets down. There was a winter jacket as well that he would wear when he was better.

Master Fu chuckled, turning to Eli, "You know Zoe. Anyone close to her is cursed." Zoe looked genuinely worried, and he continued, "If you are ever confused about something, blame Zoe. Either she did it or she will find who did it." Zoe stepped outside, and neither knew she was listening in.

Eli pursed his lips into a thin line, "I can… see that being a possibility."

Master Fu shrugged, "Or it's the fact you're using a damaged Miraculous." And Zoe barged in,

"HE HAS A MIRACULOUS!?"

Both males paled, and Master Fu began literally stuttering, "W-When d-did you appear?!"

"Satan is always here."

Eli was ready to curl into a ball and die, while the old master tried to undo the damage of his error, "It…was…sarcasm? Sarcasm! Yeah!"

Blazze emerged, equally suspicious, "Sarcasm wouldn't tell of a 'nonexistent' damaged Miraculous."

"Shut up Blazze," Fu snapped, "You heard nothing." Eli was rocking himself back and forth, until he actually fainted.

Zoe frowned, looking at Eli, "I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, Fu. Until I handle this. Eli! Wake the fucking dicks up." She huffed and put him in a recovery position, "I swear to Satan, if I have to kiss you…"

Fu raised an eyebrow, "Why are you swearing to yourself?"

"Because Christ repels me."

"Fair."

Zoe looked him over and noted he was physically fine, there was nothing wrong with him unless the fever was to blame, "Damaged Miraculous?" She sat crisscross, waiting for Fu to answer.

Fu clearly looked alarmed, seeming to have thought she had forgotten,

"No. I said… FAMISHED!" Zoe narrowed her eyes and he knew there was no arguing with her, "Fine. I thought he could be Mockingjay, who has a damaged Miraculous. There are two ways to damage a Miraculous: undercharged and overcharged. A Miraculous requires a certain amount of energy to use its special power, no more no less. If it's undercharged, meaning a crack or the kwami got sucked in with an object or got stuck or something like that, the Miraculous will take energy and life force from the wielder to function. With overcharged, meaning it probably got hit by lightning or something that would supercharge it, it has too much excess power and that power transfers to the wielder. Mockingjay has an overcharged Miraculous."

Zoe looked panicked, "Why would you think Eli is Mockingjay?"

"Physical appearance. That's it. But it is possible the two came into contact and the curse transferred to Eli."

Zoe began shaking, "He…he could be…" She turned to Eli's unconscious form, "So you think the _Frozen_ powers could be from his Miraculous? Either way… Ei knows Mockingjay." She raised her voice, "Eli, you better wake up and explain!"

Fu sighed, "Let me." He poured a potion down Eli's throat and groaned as the boy came to, "There, not he will be at a regular temperature and can walk back to the bakery." But there was still white in his hair, "That's permanent." Oh. Well...she had dyed streaks of her own hair silver to join him because according to Evelyn, he was self-conscious about that.

Eli sat up, and looked at Zoe, "Fuck."

"Welcome back, Eli." Zoe said, "How do you know Mockingjay?"

"Please tell me you're being sarcastic."

"Nope."

Eli rubbed the back of his neck, "He's…my uncle?"

Zoe crossed her arms, "He's your age. Unless this is a _You've Got Mail_ situation, with the grandfather fucking a younger woman, I call bullshit." She gave him puppy eyes, "Please?"

He looked away from her, "I…can't…Please stop the puppy eyes! You know I can't resist!" She let out a single tear.

Eli squeezed his eyes shut. _I'm fucked._

Zoe internally laughed. _Mwahahaha, he's fucked._

"You're both from New York." She pointed out. Eli nodded,

"He's my friend…from New York. He saved my life from a villain and now we're friends." Zoe was not convinced,

"Uh huh. And…what villain was that? Because I'm pretty sure that's the lie Lila told the Ladyblog."

He shrugged, "Some witch with a satanic theme. Ask Pixie Girl if you don't believe me." And that got her attention while Fu just went into the other room to eat food,

"Ahhhh." It was clear she was getting a little cocky, and it was adorable, "She has a Satanic theme, does she? Though how exactly would I ask Pixie Girl?"

"I don't know." He pulled out his phone, "Here's a picture."

The Witch had yellow eyes and pale skin. Her hair was in a very large ponytail with red and black stripes and was tied back with a black bow. She wore a skin-tight black outfit. On her torso, she had a golden circle containing a black pentagram. She had a mask that covered all but the lower part of her face and had large hoop earrings. She carried a staff with a large bulb on one end.

"Wow she's hot." Zoe said.

Eli panicked. _Why did I say that? Now Pixie will point out that I'm Mockingjay. Fuck fuck fuck._

"Try having that witch trying to kill you."

"She looks very seductive," Zoe continued, "No wonder Mockingjay had to save you."

"She was trying to kill me!"

Zoe smirked, "A witch who worships Satan against a bitch who is Satan? GEE I WONDER WHO WOULD WIN."

Eli laughed, "She'd summon you and you would rock her shit."

What actually happened.

The witch—though there were so many witches that nobody really kept track of the names anymore—found out Eli was Mockingjay and locked him up and tried to kill him. But he transformed and beat the shit out of her.

However, Douglas or one of his followers saw what had happened. They watched Eli and stalked him for a few days, then drugged some Chinese takeout and kidnapped both him and his father for nefarious purposes.

Needless to say, Eli would never eat Chinese takeout again.

Present Day

Zoe cracked her knuckles, "I want to see this bitch. I need a practice Hawk Moth."

"I would tell you if I knew where to find her."

"Would you get revenge if you could?"

He thought about it. "Well…she's responsible for me living with Douglas… so yeah." Zoe's eyes widened,

"Did she kill your Dad?!"

"It's…complicated. Like so complicated even I don't understand it fully." But Zoe wasn't done.

"And Douglas is _that_ bad!? I'm gonna kill him. Ohh, _he_ can be my practice Hawk Moth!"

"No! He's my uncle! No killing!"

"Is he Eli, is he really? Because I want to fuck him up with that new knife Gabe got me while drunk."

"Zoe look out!" She turned and an akuma flew into her bracelet.

" _I thought we were friends now!"_ Hawk Moth shouted in irritation.

" _You_ have not given up akumas!"

" _I want my wife back!"_ Hawk Moth snapped, _"What if Mockingjay ended up in an endless sleep?!"_

"And I was the one blasted in the head when Stormy Weather came back, you tell me! And are you foreshadowing something happening to Mockingjay?!"

" _WHAT?! NO! I wouldn't wish that upon anyone!"_

"Oh fuck you, don't pretend you didn't wish that on me!" She was so preoccupied in her conversation, she didn't notice Fu and Eli staring at her in both parts confusion and horror.

" _I mean like an endless sleep NOTHING could wake him from. I don't even want that on you!"_

"Well, I would get _revenge_ , then mourn like a _normal person_!"

Fu finally decided to speak up, "Are you about to be akumatized?!"

"Nah, just chatting with Hawky."

" _Really Zoe,"_ Hawk Moth asked, _"Even if you knew how to save him?"_

"I have no idea where the fuck this is going." Eli said. Master Fu shrugged in agreement.

"Fine." She admitted, "I would want to save him. But I wouldn't endanger my son—the last piece I'd have of him."

" _Well duh, Felix is an asshole, but he is adorable."_

"That he is. But you're saying your son isn't?! And that it's okay?!"

" _I don't go out of my way to endanger Adrien. If I wanted him dead, I would have given him the Peacock Miraculous to use!"_

"So, you don't care if Mayura dies?"

Meanwhile, nobody noticed a black hole summoning, and two pale feminine hands, struggling to reach out, grunting in effort.

Hawk Moth continued, _"I tried to stop her! You know I did! She's stubborn, I'll give you that."_ He sighed, _"Look, you and I are in the same boat. We both have a love that is suffering from a damaged Miraculous, and we both have a son. We can help each other!"_

"Excuse me?! I don't know about you, but I don't think I'm an evil villain!" She looked up and saw the hands had grabbed Eli and were dragging him into the black hole very very painfully slowly, "Okay… I'll continue this in a minute."

Wayzz perked up, "Zoe, maybe you should stop your boyfriend from getting sucked into the void."

Eli just sighed, "You know what? TAKE ME VOID!"

Zoe lost it a little, "I SWEAR TO SATAN, HE IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND. AND ELI, IF YOU SLIP INTO THE VOID, YOU WILL NEVER SEE FELIX AGAIN!"

And that gave Eli motivation, "Let me go, void!" Hawk Moth was still rambling on, and Zoe looked to the void, the butterfly symbol still over her eyes,

"I'M HAVING A CONVERSATION HERE, VOID! LEAVE HIM BE!" She was pretty sure the void flipped her off.

The void started talking, a rich feminine voice, "Ow! Fuck! Come on boy! I can't handle the void anymore!"

"I'M AFRAID OF THE DARK!" Eli begged, still trying and failing to fight the iron grip. The voice got irritated,

"I need my freedom and revenge!"

Zoe could feel Hawk Moth turn to glare at the void even though he couldn't see, _"Excuse me void, I'm trying to have a conversation here!"_

Wayzz frowned, "If even Hawk Moth is arguing with the void, because judging by Zoe's expression that's what happened, I have lost all sense of understanding."

"Fuck you!" The void snapped, seeming to be talking to Hawk Moth, "I better get summoned by someone close to you! That way I can ruin your life!"

Eli just sighed, singing quietly as he was slowly pulled into the void, " _How could this happen to me? I've made my mistakes. Got nowhere to run. Life goes on and I'm fading away_."

The void seemed to be just really irritated, "Really? I put cracks in your soul in toddlerhood, and you're just so casual?"

Eli looked up, not really caring anymore, "Void, you hit a pressure point and I can't move my arms. I have nothing better to do." Zoe, Master Fu, and Hawk Moth just paused.

"I killed your mother!" The void snapped, "You better respect me!"

Zoe frowned, "Hawky, Imma have to call you back."

"Dream on bitch!" Eli snapped, "It was brain cancer."

" _Can I akumatize you?"_ Hawk Moth suggested, _"I'm already here."_

"How about you akumatize THE VOID!"

" _I've never akumatized a void before…"_

Meanwhile, the void and Eli were still arguing about his mother,

"It wasn't cancer! Your Dad lies!"

"A robot, but not a void?" Zoe asked.

" _Does a void even have emotions?"_

"I don't know," she mused, "the void seems pissed to me."

"How can you be the cause of the cancer if she didn't have cancer?" Eli asked.

"I'M THE REASON SHE PRETENDED TO HAVE CANCER!"

Hawk Moth sighed, _"Fine. I'll try."_ The akuma left Zoe and flew into the void, then exploded. Two minutes of the void not pulling Eli in but still arguing with him later, there was another akuma talking to Zoe, _"I would say no."_

"So…" Eli mused, "You killed her…but somehow I'm the one you need to get revenge on?"

"You're her son! I have unfinished business with you!"

"Soul cracks?" Master Fu finally asked, and the void just seemed to send him a look of appreciation even though they could only see up to the forearm and nothing else.

"Thank you! Finally. Someone who respects my power."

"He never said he respected it." Eli said, "I'm just chilling here."

Zoe crossed her arms, "I think that if you were so powerful, Eli would already be in the void with you."

"Princess! Don't challenge it!"

"Hey void!" She shouted, "Can you leave him be? He will be pissed if he turns into another Disney Princess." There was a flash and Eli was wearing a pink shirt, black pants and black boots, and his hair, while it still had white streaks, was tinted red. _Kingdom Hearts 3_ Kairi (aka gets kidnapped in a dark void twice in ten minutes).

Eli narrowed his eyes, "Imma kill you, void." He started squirming. The void was just so annoyed at this point it was funny.

"You are stubborn—shit, stop fighting back!"

"DIE BITCH!"

Finally, the void let go and started to fade, throwing Zoe a card that seemed to be in Hebrew. "Here's my business card. Thank you for your time and feel free to summon me when you want revenge, okay toodles!" It vanished completely and the akuma left Zoe, flying away in peace.

Master Fu massaged his temples as Eli reverted back to his normal brunette white streaks self. "I need to lie down."

Zoe turned to him, "Soul cracks?"

"GOOOOOO! I'm too old to deal with your shenanigans! Only come back if someone is dying!"

They walked out, and Zoe looked to Eli, who no longer had a fever and looked much better now, dressed in a winter coat and jeans like she was. So, she had to do some taunting.

"Will you turn into Alice if I throw you down a rabbit hole?"

Eli ran his hands through his hair, "Mockingjay, why did you do this to me?"

They walked in silence for a bit while Gabriel realized back at the mansion that they had been talking with the guardian around and tried to call her to an address but was ignored.

Zoe twirled a strand of her hair,

"Eli… can I ask for your help?" He looked down at her, buying some hot cocoa from a stand and giving it to her,

"Yeah. With what?" Zoe sucked into a breath,

"I…I'm in love with Mockingjay. And you're his friend…you know…help me? What does he think of me?"

Eli then looked both overjoyed, and morally conflicted, "He likes you. Loves you, actually." She looked up and he smiled,

"He thinks you are... awesome."

"Really?"

"Definitely!" He said with a certainty.

"How?"

"Well..." Eli grabbed a guitar that was abandoned on the corner for plot convenience,

" _He said_

 _There's nothing like your smile_

 _Sort of subtle and perfect and real_

 _He said_

 _You never knew how wonderful_

 _That smile could make someone feel_

 _And he knew_

 _Whenever you get bored_

 _You scribble stars on the cuffs of your jeans_

 _And he noticed_

 _That you still fill out the quizzes_

 _That they put in those teen magazines…"_ She blushed that Mockingjay knew what she did when she was bored or had nothing better to do.

" _But he kept it all inside his head_

 _What he saw he left unsaid_

 _And though he wanted to_

 _He couldn't talk to you_

 _He couldn't find the way_

 _But he would always say_

 _If I could tell her_

 _Tell her everything I see_

 _If I could tell her_

 _How she's everything to me_

 _But we're a million worlds apart_

 _And I don't know how I would even start_

 _If I could tell her_

 _If I could tell her…"_ He looked up and Zoe brushed back her hair hidden under her new beanie, while Eli was wearing her old one.

"Did he say anything else?"

"A... about you?"

She shrugged, getting defensive, "Never mind, I don't really care anyways..."

"No, no, no... just, no, no... he said… he said so many things, I'm just… I'm trying to remember the best ones. So, um…

"He thought

You looked really pretty—er..

It looked pretty cool when you put silver streaks in your hair."

She looked at the silver in her hair, "He did?"

" _And he wondered how you learned to dance_

 _Like all the rest of the world isn't there_

 _But he kept it all inside his head_

 _What he saw he left unsaid_

 _If I could tell her_

 _Tell her everything I see_

 _If I could tell her_

 _How she's everything to me"_

Zoe joined in, _"But we're a million worlds apart._

 _And I don't know how I would even start."_

It was just Eli again.

" _And how do you say_

 _I love you?_

 _I love you_

 _I love you_

 _I love you…"_ he sucked in a breath,

" _But we're a million worlds apart_

 _And I don't know how I would even start_

 _If I could tell her_

 _If I could…."_ Zoe was blushing just like Eli, and both were telling themselves that it was the cold.

"Think I should confess?"

"I can guarantee he would love that." He said happily, "I know he likes poetry." Zoe grinned, "Thank you so much!" She hugged him tight. "Race you back to the bakery!" She started off in a run and Eli smiled,

"No Princess. Thank you." Then he chased after her.

OoOoO

After three hours of raging and swearing alone in her room because she sucked at poetry, Zoe met Mockingjay at patrol, unaware Cat Noir, Tigris and Ladybug were watching in a hidden location.

"Hey Mockingjay!" She had knots in her stomach.

"Hey!" He grinned. Fireheart pulled on her braided ponytail,

"Um… before we start patrol, I need to tell you something…actually, just read this." She handed him the paper and pulled on the ponytail harder when he started reading aloud,

"Maybe it's more than the moon.

Maybe it's more than the birds.

Maybe it's more than the sight of the night

And I light too lovely for words

Maybe it's more than the Earth,

Shining and silvery blue,

Maybe the reason I'm feeling this way

has something to do with you

Je t'aime"

He looked up, "You're serious, right? This isn't a joke. Please tell me this isn't a joke."

"I love you, Mockingjay. I really, truly do. I've never felt this way for someone before. I've been too nervous to tell you and—" She was cut off by a firm kiss to the lips, which she melted into, making sure to add force and not give into him completely.

It felt like it lasted forever, but only a split second at the same time. She looked up at him and found he was as red as Ladybug's suit, and judging by the heat through her body, she suspected she was the same. Yeah, her blushing spread through the rest of her body and it was weird.

"Wanna go photobomb some people and get dinner?"

"Fuck yes. Taco Bell?"

"You know me so well."

So they flew away and the three other heroes emerged and watched them fly off.

"NO!" Cat Noir shouted, "My ship is sinking! Do I Cataclysm him?"

"No." Ladybug said.

"But—"

"No. Did you see her? She was so happy."

"Fine." He said, "But if he hurts her, I will kill him." He ran his hands through his hair, "How are we gonna explain this to Eli?"

Ladybug's eyes widened, "Shit." Tigris was the only calm one,

"If Eli loves her, he'll want her to be happy no matter what. But let's wait until tomorrow." She smiled as they ran off, "No need to worry. He's the happiest man alive right now."

 **A/N: And Firejay is canon and more things have been revealed about Eli. Next chapter is more cuteness, because new episode without delays? What's that?**

 **And remember to please kindly review and feed the author kwami! Cheeto is starving!**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Cheeto is gone, you all put him in a coma because he used the peacock Miraculous to try and get more reviews! If you want to save the author kwami, review!**

 **So this chapter is just a bunch of random fluff, and then some dramatic shit.**

 **Chapter 21: Jolly Holiday, more Gabriel and Zoe bonding, and a new piece of the puzzle**

This wasn't supposed to happen. Zoe was supposed to go on another date with Mockingjay, and now she was stuck with babysitting.

It turned out Chris had loved when she didn't put up with his shit and he told all the kids at school how awesome she was. So Nadja Chamack—who Zoe would kill one day—and Mrs. Lahiffe, dropped off their children very rudely and expected Zoe to babysit them.

Eli came over, as while the snow had melted in the two weeks since she and Mockingjay had started dating, it was Saturday.

"Hey Princess!" He grinned, but also seemed dully annoyed.

"Eli, thank the gods! I'm being forced to babysit!" Eli gasped,

"Oh no…" He looked at the two children, then his eyes brightened, "Lightbulb! Let's go to the park!"

They both complained, but Zoe followed Eli and his wise words.

"Not the park!" Chris complained, "It's so boring!"

Eli smirked, and remembered a detail both he and Zoe shared.

"Kids, all that it takes is a spark

Then something, plain as a park

Becomes a wonderland!" He started to sing, as he had played the role of Bert in _Mary Poppins_ , the counterpart of said character, and he knew Zoe had played Mary.

" _All you have to do_

 _Is look a-new_

 _Then you'll understand._

 _Why it's a jolly holiday with Zoe_

 _Zoe makes your heart so light."_

Zoe crossed her arms, "Oh, really."

" _When the day is grey and ordinary_

 _Zoe makes the sun shine bright!"_

"You do talk nonsense, Eli."

" _Oh, happiness is blooming all around her_

 _The daffodils are smiling at the dove._

 _When Zoe holds your hand_

 _You feel so grand_

 _Your heart starts beatin'_

 _Like a big brass band!_

 _Oh, it's a jolly holiday with Zoe_

 _No wonder that it's Zoe that we love."_ Zoe now understood what was happening, and while Eli walked off with her, he sent Jaay to possess those statues of Ladybug and Cat Noir.

"Is she doing it to spite us?" Manon asked, "Perhaps it's all a plot."

Chris groaned "I'll tell you what, she seems so different. But I bet she's not! There is nothing to excite us in the park." The statues came to life and the kids looked up.

The statues looked to each other, "We thought Zoe would never let us get down from this plinth!"

" _Each man out with his dog, will stand agog,_

 _To see two statues, take a gentle jog."_

Random civilians then decided that they had nothing better to do and joined into this song and dance routine.

" _Let's go for jaunty saunter_

 _You are bound to make your mark_

 _Looks like all of you were all born to_

 _Take a promenade in the park_

 _With our finely-chiseled features_

 _We can look down from above!_

 _Oh, it's a jolly holiday with Zoe_

 _It's no wonder that it's Zoe that we love_

 _No wonder that it's Zoe that we love!"_

The routine was over, and everything set back to normal with some assistance from Blazze.

The children were now laughing and dancing around while Eli and Zoe laughed together as friends. She looked at her watch,

"Damnit, I'm late for my date."

"With Mockingjay?" Eli asked playfully, earning a nod from her.

"I figured out how to change my transformation into a dress, which is really cool. But I better dump these kids on Marinette."

OoOoO

The next day, Adrien and Zoe and Felix were back at the mansion. But it was different this time, because Zoe went into her room and saw Gabriel with a playful smirk on his face.

"How was your date? Adrien doesn't tell me anything about his dates, so I need to hear! And after that lovely void incident, I am curious."

They sat down together with some of that chocolate they had gotten in London that had been living in the fridge.

"What about how you fell in love with him?" He asked, and Zoe found herself surprised that he cared—and he had no other intent in his eyes, and that was what made her relent,

"I remember that night, I just might dream of that night for the rest of my days. I remember that dreamlike candlelight like a dream that you can't quite place. But Mockingjay, I'll never forget that time I saw his face, I have never been the same. Intelligent eyes in a hunger-pang frame, and when he said 'hi' I forgot my dang name." She grinned, "Set my heart aflame, every part aflame. It was not a game. I remember thinking, this is what it feels like to match wits with someone at your level! What the hell is the catch? It's the feeling of freedom, of seeing the light. It's Ben Franklin with a key and a kite! You see it, right? Everything we said in total agreement, it was a dream and a bit of a dance. He's a bit of a flirt, but that's my type." Her mood darkened,

"I asked about his family, do you know his answer? His hands started fidgeting, he looked askance." She sighed dreamily, "Handsome, boy, does he know it! I wanna take him far away from this place! He loves to fly around and play jokes, just like I do! He's funny and witty and goddamn he's hot." Gabriel chuckled,

"Zoe Agreste, smitten. Didn't think I would ever hear that. What about tonight's date."

"We rented out a bowling alley, so the paparazzi wouldn't go near us. We had a little competition. I won the first and third time, and he won the second."

"Let me guess, you would kill me if I hurt him." Zoe narrowed her eyes and nodded. He sighed, "I was the same way with Emilie. Totally lovestruck. You and I have quite a bit in common." He got up, and held a piece of paper in his hands, "I didn't know you did design."

"Oh. I was in plays, remember? The director needed help with costume design, so I do that in my spare time as a stress relief."

"You really are quite talented. Certainly have potential."

"Are you complementing me?" He shrugged.

"Maybe you're not the worst thing ever." Zoe chuckled as he kept flipping through her sketchbook, "What is the appeal of you killing barbies?!"

"Wanna waffle a barbie?"

"…. Yes actually."

They went in her death closer and pulled out a petite barbie. Zoe glared at it.

"Okay, since that is literally my body shape, lets give Barbie a Zoe makeover, and it will be like murdering myself." So, they prepared the doll, and Zoe pulled out a blowtorch.

"Okay, let me teach you how to use a blowtorch while the waffle iron heats up." She torched the barbie, then stuck it in a waffle iron, then the deep fryer, then put it on a plate and fed it to poor Adrien.

Whenever Gabriel and Zoe united, Adrien would pay the price.

OoOoO

Eli fell on his bed like a lovestruck schoolgirl. Date after date and Fireheart was falling for him, the real him.

Eden came in, "How was your date?" Yeah, he knew about that. They had a mutual agreement that they would keep their various secrets. Go down together.

He sat up,

"It was so good!" he went on and on, and Eden got sad.

"Eli, you need to tell her who you are. You could be free!" She knew everything.

"I know…" He sighed, "Douglas is right, I'm a coward and scared of losing her. You understand, it's been months and you haven't told her."

Eden sighed.

OoOoO

Kelly Carpenter woke up with a start on Monday morning, clasping a hand to his chest and taking in a sharp breath of air. The light that would normally comfort him was hidden away behind heavy shades. He looked at his alarm clock. 7:00am. Standing, he shook his head and tried to rid himself of the memory of the nightmare.

It was the same thing every single night. He asked for help to save Amelia, went to Paris, got an agreement to help, then he was banished to this blasted world without magic. And then he was gone. Gone forever.

After showering, changing into his stiff gray suit, and drinking a quick cup of coffee, he grabbed his car keys and headed out to his car. He ate a breakfast bar on the way to work. It wasn't much, but he didn't have the time or money to make himself a decent breakfast right now. Not after Maeve kicked him out upon him finding out about the abuse of his eldest daughter.

It had been six years since Zoe went missing, three since Eden went missing. He knew where they were all too well, but it was how to get back there himself that bothered him. That was why he had taken up a job as a police officer in a small town in Tibet.

He was a wreck, and he knew it. He had covered the dark bags under his eyes with heavy amounts of makeup, but he knew that some of his closer co-workers would notice his state and inquire about his life. He could imagine what would happen if he said something.

"I'm sorry. I'm still not handling the loss of my daughters and I'm not quite myself."

He could already picture their sympathetic smiles and soft "I'm sorry."

 _Me too_ , He thought. _Me too._

Pulling into the parking lot of the small police department, he parked in the back of the staff area and headed in. The receptionist, a plump, smiling woman with a bushel of curly brown hair, waved to him with a cheery smile.

"Good morning, Kels!" she called. Kelly waved back, forcing the edges of his mouth upwards into a smile. Kels, the nickname Amelia and Harrison had for him, both of which he hadn't seen in twenty years, and he was annoyed people had taken to calling him that.

"Morning, Eliza!" He responded before moving over to his desk and sitting down. Sighing deeply, he logged into his computer and pulled up his work for the day. His job was partly as a record-keeper and occasionally he did research. He mainly proof-read, filed, and stored all of the police reports. If they had a case come up and they needed someone to run background checks, he was normally the one asked.

It was kind of an unexpected and seemingly unimportant job, but Kelly felt like he was helping somehow. Even if it really wasn't much. Somebody needed to do this job. He got a decent pay out of it, they were a tiny station and didn't get too much government money, but it was sufficient.

Sitting there with his fingers clicking away at the keys, Kelly found he wasn't even paying attention anymore. He was just going through the motions. Click, read, check labels, save, direct into the correct folder. In the background, his mind was far away. Very far away, considering that it now resided in memories from thirty years ago. Those were the good old days…

Suddenly, he felt a tug of curiosity. The police claimed they had completely shut the investigation for his daughters down—and since he had at one point been a United States general, it had been a worldwide search—but there were still some people, such as Sam McCall, who were fascinated with the disappearances and were doing searches on it. Maybe someone found out how one could get to the Quantic Universe. He pulled open the police departments main background search engine. He typed in Zoe's name, then Eden's. No result. He typed in the names of every single person of interest on the subject he could think of.

This was not the first time he had done this, and he spent hours there, searching names and addresses, but he found nothing.

"Hey Kels, several of us were going to head out for lunch at the restaurant around the corner. Would you like to join us?" Eliza asked, sitting on the desk. Kelly crossed out his tabs and switched to his screensaver, a picture of a lion. And he found himself entering Eliza's mind, listening to her thoughts.

" _He seems really upset. Must be his daughters again. Everyone has accepted that the girls are dead, but Kelly refuses. I wonder if he will ever stop. But maybe lunch will cheer him up."_

It was a nice little power he had had since he was fifteen: to invade other peoples' minds. It sounded passive, but it _really_ wasn't, because he could plant thoughts, erase them, enter minds and see through the eyes of his target, and could destroy minds too. He could also locate people by looking in the memories of his target, which made him a very good cop. He couldn't control, just influence.

"Um, no thanks Eliza. I have a lot of work to do." Kelly replied with a completely neutral face. Eliza looked at him quizzically.

"Is everything all right, Kels?" _"Is he okay? Is he thinking of doing anything… rash?"_

"Yeah," Kelly replied, glancing at his empty screen and reminding himself that there were no enemies, they couldn't find him anymore. No more threat. Just his missing daughters and people worrying about him. "Yeah, everything's fine. You know what? I think I will join you. I'm starving!"

He stood and grabbed his backpack, following Eliza as the plump lady waddled across the room, to where several other co-workers were waiting, her red heels clicking on the marble floor. Kelly took a deep breath and reminded himself that everything was okay. He'd find his daughters. He would be with them.

Everything was going to be just fine.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

 **A/N: And Zoe's father has mind powers. And the Quantic Universe is the universe** _ **Miraculous Ladybug**_ **takes place in.**

 **And Zoe's monologue going on about Mockingjay, it's from a song. First person to guess correctly which one gets internet hugs.**

 **So I am probably gonna wrap this story up soon, because it's already split from the original story and honestly, I am not patient enough to wait for more episodes. And there are more plot things happening now.**

 **And remember that unless you want me to turn into Hawk Moth, save my kwami with reviews!**

 **Or just…draw me as Hawk Moth, that's fine too.**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Better! Much better! Cheeto still isn't awake but is no longer on life support.**

 **Kelly will be a recurring character.**

 **This chapter dives more into Zoe's past and her mother's abuse, as well as going into Eli's situation, so trigger warnings of abuse, self-harm and suicidal thoughts. Credit to ChristiRose13 for the second half.**

 **Chapter 22: Worldbender**

After five months, Gabriel had finally gotten Zoe on board. No, not to steal the Miraculouses, but to see if she could use her medical and magical knowledge to pinpoint the exact problem.

Which was why she was holding the peacock Miraculous in her hands.

She heard the voice coming from it, could feel it.

"Gabriel, how did the Miraculous get damaged?"

"I don't know. I was hoping you would be able to find out." She was about to take off the gloves she was wearing when he stopped her. "Be careful." She nodded and touched it.

And screamed.

 _Zoe was eight years old. Her dad was off helping the army kill bad guys, that was good. But that meant she was alone with her mother, which was not good._

 _Her mother, Maeve, was a devastatingly beautiful woman. She was tall, slender, and powerfully built, with pale skin, golden-blonde hair and slightly up-tilted black eyes; she has a pert and pretty nose, sharp cheekbones and a soft mouth. Her posture was perfect, her shoulders were pulled back and she was pointing a 22. Cal pistol at her eldest daughter._

 _It didn't take a genius to know her mother was drunk, it also didn't take an genius to know Maeve was going to fire that gun. Zoe was frozen, shaking in the corner of the hall. Eden was at daycare, so there was nobody to save her._

" _You're a freak," Maeve sneered, "You know that? You shouldn't have been born!"_

" _Mama, please stop!" Zoe begged, her sapphire blue eyes wide with fear, her face hiding behind long dark brown locks, "It's me! It's Zoe!"_

" _I know who you are!" Maeve snapped, "But what have you ever done for me? Use your powers? You are just a drunken mistake that should have been aborted! Why should I even try to love you when that Fu character is going to take you away because of how much of an abomination you are!" Zoe flinched, noticing the black and purple fire in her hand, waiting to be of assistance._

" _Mama, I'm sorry I'm like this. But it isn't my fault! It just happened!"_

" _Then I will make sure you don't pass your gene down!" Zoe ran and tried to fight back, but the gun went off, tearing through her upper bicep, in and out._

 _And she was running, running, running. She was too young to be able to fight an adult, so there was only a hint of fight, and mostly flight._

 _The wound was bleeding, but it hadn't hit anything vital, so she knew she would be fine, running and trying not to cry._

 _She bumped into the local police officer, Officer Patrick._

" _Zoe?" Patrick's eyes widened, "Oh my lord! Were you shot?!" She nodded through teary eyes, knowing her adrenaline was the only reason she didn't double over in pain._

" _By whom?!"_

" _Ma—Ma—"_

" _Muggers?" Zoe just nodded. Because nobody would believe her if she said her mother shot her, because Maeve was known for being a wonderfully kind woman around the neighborhood._

 _Officer Patrick gathered her small body in his arms, "Shhh, it's gonna be okay… I'm going to take you to the hospital."_

 _Two weeks later, her Dad had come running back, swearing bloody vengeance to whoever hurt his precious daughter. And then he took her to a dojo, and really truly taught her how to fight, without using her powers. She used her unnatural curse to learn quickly and by the end of the year became as good as her father himself._

" _D-Daddy?"_

" _Yeah Dude?" He turned to her, his identical eyes twinkling with curiosity._

" _Am I a monster? Because of what I can do?" Kelly was taken aback by the question, bending down as she started crying, "People saw I-I-I'm a monster that shouldn't have been born…I don't want to be a monster!" He hugged her tight, holding her small body wracked with sobs. She physically took after him almost completely other than his tan skin, having inherited the dark hair and piercing blue eyes. He just listened to her troubles._

" _Dude, listen, you are so special, you have no idea what great things you are going to do. But if you really don't want your powers, I can make that happen."_

" _R-Really?" He nodded, and he looked truly sad._

 _And then she forgot what they were talking about._

" _Daddy, are we gonna keep training?" Kelly nodded,_

" _Yes. But first we need to get you a haircut." It was a Japanese custom both she and her father had: cutting their hair to symbolize a new beginning._

 _Zoe got her hair cut into a cute pixie cut that was still cute at every stage it ended up in._

 _But Maeve never stopped hurting her, though a gun was never used again._

Gabriel watched as Zoe let out a bloodcurdling shriek and fainted, having a seizure. At first, he panicked, because for the first time, he had no desire to kill her, and now he potentially just killed her.

Then he remembered going through Zoe's medical handbook and started following the instructions he remembered, placing her on her side as she continued to scream and convulse. There were no harmful objects in need of moving, so that was good. He turned on a stopwatch and gently rested her head in his lap, stroking her hair soothingly.

He wanted to panic, but he knew that wouldn't help Zoe in this given moment, so he just waited until 78 seconds passed and she stopped seizing and slowly opened her eyes, which were bloodshot as though she had been crying. She shot up and…. Took off her shirt? It made it easier for him to check her for injuries, but the scars on the young woman's body made him sick, very sick.

She fingered a roughly circular scar on her bicep, which went in and out almost. And she just stared at it, before bursting into tears.

He wanted to ask her what had happened and had thrown the Peacock Miraculous across the room the second she started screaming.

Allow the person to rest. Give the person a safe area where they can rest. Make sure any tight clothing around their neck and waist is loosened. Don't let them eat or drink until they are calm, conscious, and cognizant of what is going on around them. Stay with the person while they rest and recover. Never leave a confused, unconscious, or sleepy person after a seizure.

Reassure the person. Seizures can be frightening and stressful situations. Remember that a person may be confused or embarrassed when they wake up. Remind the person they are safe. When they are conscious and alert, explain what happened to them. Offer to remain with the person until they are feeling better.

"A-Are you alright?" he asked, frowning as she fingered the scar, as though trying to figure out how old it was. She shrugged a little,

"I just got a flashback I wish I hadn't." She said simply, "Mother shot me." His eyes widened,

"What?!" She just nodded,

"Yeah. She hated me with a passion…it wasn't always like that. But when I turned five, she changed. From kind to cold. I've always been…different…but I don't know what it is about me turning five that made me a monster. I am a monster, I know that. You know it too. Why else would you be trying to kill me?" This was something Gabriel had never seen. He had heard Zoe refer to herself as a monster before, but it was in jest. But in her eyes was an unimaginable pain and despair.

But could he argue with her? He would be a hypocrite if he criticized Zoe's mother, because he himself had tried to kill her. So, he just did a figure eight motion on her back to soothe her.

And he saw the memory of a scared little girl, crying in her room with an inhumane creature taunting her. Of a small kitchen knife cutting into flesh and hovering dangerously close to the wrist more than once. It took him a moment to realize he was seeing glimpses of Zoe's memory, of big blue eyes quickly losing innocence until she was an adult in a child's body.

And he felt sick with himself for trying to hurt her, for making the PTSD worse than it already was.

He knew the precise moment Zoe bottled up her emotions again, as she put on her shirt again and turned to walk away.

"Sorry, I need to lie down."

"That's fine." He said quickly and leaned over the railing and vomited.

OoOoO

Wayzz jerked up at the magical disturbance.

"Master! It happened! Zoe remembered her powers!" Master Fu jerked around.

"Really?!"

"Yes! She seems to be having an existential crisis at home."

Master Fu sighed, "So Kelly really did lock that power away. I still feel bad for what I did to him, but I had no choice."

"You did what you thought was right, Master." Wayzz assured, "But I think it's time we tell Zoe the truth about what she is, and how she came to be."

OoOoO

"Confess!" Eden shouted, "Or I will let Jaay gossip with Roari!" She promised not to tell Eli's secret, she did not say anything about not annoying him until he did.

"No please!" Eli begged, "He has my baby pictures!"

Jaay came over and pulled out a photo, "Here is Eli on his first birthday."

Eden squealed, "SO CUTE!"

"No! Zoe can't see those! I don't want her just thinking of me as cute!"

"She already does." Eden replied nonchalantly. Eli shed a tear,

"She likes someone else."

"Yeah." Roari drawled, "Mockingjay." Eli sighed in relief while Eden facepalmed,

"Oh yeah, that's me!"

"If you were brave enough to tell her." Jaay joked,

"Shut up."

"I DON'T GIVE A FUCK!" Jaay snapped. Eli put his head in his hands,

"Nope. Sadly, no you don't."

"Do I want to know?" The kwamis scattered as they saw Douglas standing in the doorway, "Have you fallen in love with a new girl? Finally!"

"Fuck, where did you come from? And god no, this is her sister." He held up a cross, upside down, "THE POWER OF SATAN REPELS YOU!" Hana was laughing in the corner. Douglas just sighed and left.

"Well, I guess I'm going to the regular kwami gossip sessions. Tikki likes to stay in the know how."

"Jaay hasn't come before," Roari explained, "So I pass messages."

"So that's where those family pictures went!" Eli pointed an accusing finger at his kwami, "They better not know who I am…"

"We hold no secrets except identities. And 'secret' identities are pretty much thrown out the window."

Eli sighed, "She's gonna know by next week, isn't she."

"Or sooner," Jaay smirked, "But yes."

Eden sighed, "Listen, I know my sister like I know my own mind. You will never find someone as protective or as kind. She will understand." Her eyes widened comically, "ELI!" Eli jerked to look down as an akuma entered the already damaged amulet. Fuck.

" _I'll do you a solid and create like twenty akumas."_

"Why?" He found himself asking, "Besides, Zoe would kill me if I was in cahoots with you."

" _Then she'll be occupied from learning of it. In return, give me Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous."_

Eli smirked, "How about I call Zoe and tell her of your plans."

" _NO! Don't do that!"_ He called Zoe, who sounded like she had been crying,

" _Yes?"_

"Hawky is trying to do me a favor in exchange for the Miraculouses."

" _Just tell him to piss off. What was the favor?"_

That was bad, "Er—uh—t-the favor? To—uh—" He covered his phone, "Eden help!"

"Just tell her of your burning love and that you are actually her boyfriend."

"WH—NO! DO THAT AND I WILL TELL HER YOUR REAL NAME!"

" _What? Whose real name?"_ Zoe asked.

"NOTHING!" Came from both Eli and Eden.

" _Now I'm curious."_ Shit.

"Hawky just…said he would do me a solid and create like 20 akumas—not that I want akumas! I don't!"

" _Weird…but I'm talking about the real name thing."_

"But...uh—its…complicated…."

He could feel Zoe narrowing her eyes, _"I'm the only person in this or any universe who understands_ Kingdom Hearts _. Try me."_

"He's head over heels for you!" Jaay shouted, and Eli's eyes widened in horror,

"WHAT THE FUCK SHUT UP!"

" _Who was that?"_

" _Want my help now?"_ Hawk Moth asked.

"Fuck off, you started this. Sorry Zoe, I was talking to Hawky. But the other person here is…. Mockingjay!" He could feel her brighten as the akuma fucked off.

" _Oh! Hi Hero! You're coming on patrol tonight, right?"_

Eli panicked, "Er…Yeah! He-He wouldn't miss it!"

" _Can I talk to him?"_

"S-Sure hehehe…." In a whisper, "Jaay, let's fly…"

FaceTime activated, and Mockingjay noticed Zoe's eyes were bloodshot and red, but she seemed happy enough. Then she frowned deeply,

"Why do you have white streaks in your hair?" FUCK! Jaay had been concealing the white hair during transformation. Turned out his kwami decided enough was enough.

"…. Puberty?" Eden narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips into a thin line.

" _Horseshit."_ Mockingjay was internally screaming as she continued, _"Eli has that trait after almost dying… Speaking of which, where is he?"_

"Oh…. I was…uh…COPLAYING!" Eden was taking too much pleasure from this.

"No, it's Mockingjay."

"Taking a dump?"

" _I know you're lying."_ Mockingjay was now swearing colorfully in his mind.

"So…weather?"

He saw Zoe cross her arms, _"I'm waiting."_ He panicked,

"TRANSFORMATIONGOINGOUTSOONGOTTAGOBYE!" He hung up, then Zoe called again, then he hung up again. And then Fireheart was standing behind him.

"I want my answers." She said, detransforming. Mockingjay was hyperventilating now, and Zoe frowned. "Mockingjay? You okay?" He shook his head, then fainted.

…

"I think he needs mouth to mouth!" Evelyn shouted happily. Zoe glared,

"Where the fuck is Eli?!"

"Making out with Marinette! Give him mouth to mouth!"

"Marinette is at the photoshoot with Adrien." She checked her boyfriend's pulse and felt a jolt of panic that maybe her curse had hurt him, or that his damaged Miraculous was taking the toll. She didn't want to touch him, for fear of losing control. Eden had been lucky not to be born a monster like her. There had been times she couldn't touch anything. She wished she didn't remember at all.

"That was sarcasm!" Evelyn snapped, "Give. Him. Mouth. To. Mouth!"

She poured water on his head. He didn't respond at all. Evelyn grinned like an idiot,

"You must kiss Princess Mockingjay, it's the only way to bring him back!" But she didn't want to hurt him. Control had never been her friend. She sucked in a breath and touched his shoulder,

"Can you hear me?" No response. She tried mouth to mouth, and he gasped for air as though he would wake up, but didn't regain consciousness. She shook in fear, "Where is Eli?" Eden shrugged,

"Eli's fine… I have no clue where he is."

She didn't want to push it, but she had been having a rough day and couldn't handle any more worry lest she lose control.

"Who's watching Felix?"

"Marinette." As if on cue, Eli's phone rang, and Zoe picked it up,

"Dada! I'm alone!"

"Fuck." So, she grabbed Felix and rushed Mockingjay to the hospital. Dr. Winston was too done to care and just took him back.

"Well, he had an epileptic episode."

Felix frowned, "Where's Dada?" Silence. "Mama? Please tell me."

"I have no fucking clue." She sighed, and then she called Gabriel, "Hawky!"

" _You okay? What do you want?"_

"Felix wanted to know where Eli is." Felix shrieked,

"Hawky, where's Dada!?"

" _I don't know!"_

"You followed him up a fucking mountain!" Felix started crying.

Hawk Moth relented at the sound of the crying child, _"He's in the hospital. But it wasn't me!"_ Zoe just sighed. Hawk Moth hung up, and Zoe called Natalie,

"Hawky hung up on me."

" _Okay…."_

"I need to know where Eli is. He said Eli's in the hospital, and I'm here with Mockingjay, who had an epileptic episode, so I'm here. I tried to ask what happened and he hung up on me!"

"Well….he also had an epileptic episode." Felix gasped,

"Paon? What do you mean?!" Zoe got up and looked to Dr. Winston.

"Doc, where's Eli Sommers?"

"Huh?" The doctor frowned, "What do you mean?" Felix was started to throw a tantrum,

"WHERE'S DADA!?"

Dr. Winston pushed up his glasses, "Well…we don't have an Eli Sommers here…unless its whoever is under the mask of Mockingjay." Felix huffed and toddled into the back room and tried to open the door.

"Aye! Get back here little fucker!" Zoe ordered, but Felix just moved an office chair to open the door and toddled into the room. He sat on the bed and took off the Blue Jay Miraculous, which made Eli change back and wake up. He snatched the Miraculous back, before passing out again.

Dr. Winston came in and paused, looking to the open window—curtesy of Jaay—"I think Mockingjay jumped out the window and swapped with Eli. Here he is."

"You mean to tell me…Mockingjay woke up from an epileptic episode…to…jump out the window?" Felix tapped Eli, which caused him to wake up,

"Dada!"

"What the fuck, Eli." She pulled out her phone, "Um hi, I think Eli's having side effects of the ice issue."

" _Please explain."_

"He disappeared off the face of the earth, only to appear in a hospital bed where Mockingjay was passed out. And there is something else I need to talk to you about."

" _Come on over."_

Zoe hung up and filed for Eli's discharge, "Come on, let's go."

Dr. Winston didn't want to even try stopping her.

OoOoO

Master Fu groaned, "Come in." Eli was being held because he was too weak to walk having had an epileptic episode and all. He hated feeling so helpless, but he did like having a strong woman. He knew he was blushing.

"The ice thing got to his head," Zoe said, "And his heart. He's turning into fucking Anna again." She plopped him down, "Fix him." Master Fu narrowed his eyes at the amulet. Wayzz sucked in a breath,

"What makes you think there is a problem."

"He keeps fucking passing out and look at the white in his hair!"

"I told you the white hair is permanent." Fu said, "the passing out is worrisome though. Have you thought about epilepsy?"

"Epilepsy?" Eli asked. The ancient master clarified,

"Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that results from abnormal activities in the brain. Brain's abnormal activity could be due to an inherited genetic condition, trauma to head, or diseases and developmental disorders of the brain. Commonly noted symptoms include temporary confusion, episodes of staring blankly, jerking and/or twitching of arms and legs."

Eli sighed in relief, "There's something wrong with my brain…. I'll be fine." He fainted again. Fu blinked,

"Zoe… I need you to leave the room. We will talk about your issue in a minute, but I need to do some things." Zoe huffed,

"I will be right downstairs!" She was down there pacing impatiently. Master Fu sighed,

"Jaay." The kwami emerged.

"I keep telling him not to use the Miraculous! But he's like his mother!"

"Like his mother? Amelia Blackwell." He looked at Eli, who was pale and weak, "She didn't die from cancer."

"Yeah… It was Mara! She kidnapped Eli and Amelia gave up her life for her son's. Kelly left to get her a cure, but never came back." Fu stroked his beard and Jaay was worried, "He's okay, right? Amelia meant a lot to me. He's all I have left."

Fu made a potion and wrapped Eli in a nest of blankets to sit him up, having him drink the potion.

"Has Zoe kissed him?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Okay, then her powers should be helping." Eli opened his eyes, dazed.

"Wha—what happened? Where's Zoe?"

"She's downstairs." He sat down next to Eli, "Does she knew you're Mockingjay."

"No." Eli answered, "She can't. Douglas… he's using me. He said that if I got a kiss from Zoe, she knows who I am, and does it of her own will, my father and I will be free. But she might think I'm using her for the kiss then leave."

"Well then" Fu replied, "Looks like you have yourself in a pickle!"

"You're not calling me an idiot like Jaay?"

"It's not your fault you get in these situations. I'll admit you are killing yourself by using the damaged Miraculous. But maybe you should trust her judgement a bit more."

"It's not that I don't trust her." He said sadly, "She's the only reason I haven't commit suicide to escape. I cant even risk losing her. But I heard you…why do you care if I had kissed her?"

"If not, you would not only be dead, you would still be unconscious."

"Um…enlighten me."

"Not important."

"Oh my fuck, you are worse than Eden!" Fu groaned,

"If you keep these secrets, you might push her away."

Eli snapped. "You think I want to?! He has the number of the people holding my father captive," he was interrupted by a hacking cough, "If I tell anyone, he'll have my father killed! There's no winning with him! I've been trying for months!"

"So… two situations that contradict each other."

"No," Eli drawled, running a hand through his hair, "It's perfectly easy. Of course they contradict! Back to the whole thing about me being dead without having gotten a kiss from Zoe. You said it. And I am in love with her. Ergo, I am intrigued."

"Well… she was born on another world and has major power within her yadda yadda true love and all that jazz."

"What about Kelly, Zoe's Dad." Jaay asked.

"Kelly…. I couldn't bring him back. There was no cure for what happened to Amelia, and he found the woman who he was to marry. And Zoe needed to be born."

"W-Why did Zoe need to be born? Actually, Zoe should be in here for this! We are done talking in private."

Master Fu nodded, "Very well. Blazze, go get Zoe."

Blazze emerged, "How long have you known I was here?"

"Since you arrived," Fu frowned, "What did you wish to accomplish by spying?"

"I was curious." Blazze said, "And Zoe is pacing outside, losing control a little." The dragon kwami left and returned with Zoe, who hugged Eli,

"You okay? I've been worried." She said, "I even called Hawky to distract myself. And annoying him is fun, so…"

Eli chuckled, "I'm…. fine. Nice to know you were worried about me though, Princess."

Zoe turned, "So, what's wrong with him?" Fu tensed,

"I'd sit down."

That made Zoe worried, "What is it?"

"Nothing is wrong with him…. exactly?" Zoe crossed her arms,

"I distinctly remember him fainting many times." Fu looked to Eli as though they were having a conversation with their eyes, and then Fu sighed,

"It's hard to explain. I had the cure on hand so that whatever he has won't kill him."

"You said that last time!" Zoe snapped, "What. Was. It?! You can't have the cure unless you know."

Fu sucked in a breath and explained, "It's because of his mother that he has this illness, so it didn't exactly cure him."

"Wait what?!" Eli's eyes widened, "I have cancer!?"

"It's not cancer. And can't tell you what it is because I barely understand it at all."

"Is it the ice?" Zoe asked, "Do I need to swap my Miraculous and keep this one on him? Because I will." Fu sighed,

"Zoe, this also… has to do with you."

"Me?! What did I do?!"

"Do you know why you were chosen?" Fu said, "Of all the witty, strong women, why was it you? Here's why: you are not of either world, and as such you have become a worldbender."

"A worldbender?"

"How much do you know about your father?"

"He has a family, works a lot, loves video games…a lot of things, why?"

"Did you know he was from this Universe?" Zoe's eyes widened, and Fu continued, "He needed my help in search of a cure of some sort, and I altered the memories of your grandmother, thinking he was her son. But because you are a child of both worlds, you were chosen, and you have powers. Blazze knows too. Do you remember what she said about the Dragon?"

Zoe shrugged, so he continued, "The Dragon represents the untamed natural world, a violent creature. It represents the bestial element which must be defeated with strength and discipline. The Satanic element. However, in the Occidental world, the dragon is associated with happiness, produces the potion of immortality, and represents the primal essence 'yang'. It stands for procreation, fertility, activity, and wards off evil spirits. It is the 5th sign of the Chinese zodiac a symbol of the East and the rising sun. However, the white dragon represents the West and death."

"Yeah, I remember, what does that have to do with anything?"

"Because you have the power of life—hence Dausi—and death, hence why you are such a skilled warrior and have lost all restrictions. You aren't supposed to have no limits, you're supposed to have a limit to endurance, you're not supposed to be able to kill people without a second thought, you're have the power of life and death, which is different from creation and destruction, but with training, you could create your own world."

"So, you're saying…I'm god?"

"You can be. And you could bring your father back."

Eli was still nestled in the blankets, while Zoe was shaking in rage and confusion, looking at her hands as though she had never seen them before. But Fu wasn't done.

"And…. Evelyn… she's…. Does Eden ring a bell?"

"My baby sister."

"Yes. And if she came to this world, she would also be very powerful."

"So? She's back at home, safe and sound." Fu hesitated, and Zoe pulled out her gun, "What did you do?"

"It was Hawk Moth."

"HAWK MOTH HAS MY SISTER?! WHERE IS SHE!?" A vase exploded in Zoe's rage. She had thought she and Gabriel were getting along! How long was he going to hide that!?

"No, he doesn't. He just brought her here. Don't even ask me what was going through his head, because I have no idea."

"She's little!" She pleaded, "She shouldn't be on her own! Where is she?! How long have you been hiding this!"

"A year. But you've actually seen her a few times. But time flies faster on your home world, so she is older now."

"Why was I gone then?" She asked, "What about Eli's condition?"

"As for Eli's condition, you are very powerful, remember? So... basically your will for him to live is keeping him alive."

She gasped, "When he died in the cave…" She remembered that night and knew she would regret not getting there in time for the rest of her days.

"Yes, like how Elsa's love for Anna saved her."

"But I did CPR and he wasn't an ice sculpture! I'm in love with Mockingjay, you both know this. Eli's my friend, sure, one of my best friends, and maybe I would see him differently if Mockingjay didn't exist, but how would that work now?"

"Did you want him to live?" She nodded, "Then you willed him alive. All it took from you was for you to kiss him." Zoe tensed,

"I can't bear to lose Eli. Maybe it's because I owe him my life. But I didn't kiss him."

"CPR."

"Did not kiss."

"Well, is he alive right now? Right next to us drinking tea?" Zoe looked at him,

"Yeah. So?"

"Then let all Eloe shippers rejoice, you kissed him."

"Eloe?" Zoe pursed her lips in a thin line, "Adrien, I'll kill you. But what about the fainting?"

"He was just very stressed and hyperventilating. He'll be fine."

"What about the condition his mother gave him?!" Zoe asked, "If Dad needed to go to the other world to find a cure, it had to have been serious." There was a pregnant pause before anyone spoke.

"It's complicated." Fu answered, "Kelly never disclosed what exactly happened, only that Amelia's life was on the line. It affects Eli very rarely and only when he does something HE SHOULDN'T BECAUSE IT WILL HURT HIM." He narrowed his eyes at Eli, who just fidgeted with the amulet around his neck. Zoe then realized she had never seen him wear an amulet before. But she had to ask,

"Eli, are you doing drugs?" Wayzz snorted out his tea. Eli's eyes widened, "NO!"

"No Zoe." Master Fu replied, "It isn't that."

"Er…Princess," Eli said, coughing a little, "Can we just… drop this, please?"

"You died!" Zoe reminded him firmly, "So no. We will not drop it. Is someone hurting you? Is Douglas doing something?" She could see his violet eyes fly around the room, and she knew she was onto something. The eyes cannot lie. She had seen the pain in Mockingjay's eyes, but Eli had very rarely looked into her eyes. She gasped, "Does Mockingjay have anything to do with this?"

"Yes." Fu replied, "But the rest of the explanation will delve into private territory, so it's Eli's decision if he wants to talk." Eli looked away, and Zoe put two fingers under his chin, so he looked at her.

"Eli?" She gasped as a memory hit, of Eli screaming, begging for mercy as Douglas dragged him into a closet and chained him up, leaving the poor boy to cry alone. She grabbed his wrist with the most gentleness she could muster and saw the scars of chains. "These are chain scars. Not scratching."

Eli pulled his wrist back, hiding in the blankets more, "Just leave it alone. It's nothing." He coughed, and Zoe helped him drink the tea with the magic potion in it. She could tell Fu knew what was going on, but she also knew he genuinely didn't fully understand it himself.

"I want to help you. Don't you trust me? Are you sworn into silence? Who is threatening you?" And Eli started full blown bawling.

"I trust you more than anyone—but-but—" He took in gasping breaths and hiccupped, "I ca-can't s-say or—or…" She stroked his hair and let him talk at his own pace.

"Douglas isn't your uncle, is he?" She saw another memory of when she stayed the night and saw Douglas holding up the amulet Eli was currently wearing. She couldn't make out what was being said, but it sounded like a challenge, and not in a loving way. She didn't know she had partially inherited that power from her father, but that gift wasn't associated with being a worldbender. Eli was still screaming as tears poured down his cheeks like twin rivers.

He blew his nose and coughed again, "I…. Zoe, you can't do anything! H-he could hurt my Dad!" And then the pieces clicked into place for Zoe. Everything made sense and she looked at her boyfriend in a new light. As Eli, he was scared and timid, but as Mockingjay, he could be free. It was like Adrien and Cat Noir. She let him talk, relieved he was finally opening up to her,

"I… just have to…. Play along… he-he wanted me to get closer to you… to get info about Hawk Moth. But I fell in love with y-you and couldn't do it! And he told me that if I got a kiss from you with true love… I-I could be free. But I couldn't tell anyone! Please Princess, you may hate me now, so please…. Don't do anything…. Don't step in."

She held him, "Shhh. I don't hate you. But I'm stepping in." She smiled at him, "I'm rich and clinically insane and allowed to kill bad guys, I can get favors. Where is your father?"

"Please, if Douglas finds out I told anyone, it's all over!" He coughed again as he continued to weep. Zoe shrugged,

"I could slip him something strong. Hawky and I are on decent terms, so I have that belladonna he used to poison me. And I have some barbies in need of being slaughtered and eaten by some unsuspecting soul."

He actually chuckled a little at the mental images that created, but his mood darkened not long after, "Thank you for caring, but I can't let you get involved in this mess."

"Hero," he gasped as she used the pet name she used for Mockingjay, and he knew she had figured it out. She felt stupid for not seeing it sooner, but she knew about the glamor during transformation that prevented identity realizations, "Do you know why I want to help? You're my friend. But you know you are more than that." She kissed him passionately, and the way he returned it showed all the love and pain and longing he had been holding back. She had kissed him many times, but something about knowing it was one of her best friends behind the mask made it even better.

He looked up, tears still falling down his cheeks against his will, he hugged her tight, "Thank you. Thank you, Zoe."

"So, can I help?"

He sighed, "This doesn't change anything. He still has my Dad somewhere, and we can't act!"

"Sure you can." Fu said, "The only reason, Zoe, that you have trouble controlling your powers, is because you have never harnessed them to their full ability. But this would be a good way to test it." Zoe stormed out, followed by Eli, even though she was leaving him in the dust.

"ZOE! WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?!"

She pounded on the door to the mansion and Linda—and Zoe suspected that wasn't her real name—opened the door.

"Where's Douglas." She didn't bother with friendly conversation, but she could tell this woman was innocent in the matter.

"He's in his office right now." The maid saw the gun in Zoe's hand and grinned, which made it clear her place in the matter.

"Thanks. Doug! We need to talk!" Douglas came out,

"Ms. Agreste, what a pleasant supri—" he screamed as Zoe shot him in the dick.

"Where's Harrison Sommers?"

"What the fuck?! Hana, call the cops!" Zoe noted that 'Linda' responded to that name, by giving Douglas the finger and eating popcorn in the corner.

"I'm allowed to kill villains." She pulled out the contract signed by the mayor, "Right here in fact."

"Villain?!" Douglas' eyes widened, "ELI! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU—"

"I'm not going to kill you." She said innocently, "Well, not yet at least." She had an insane twinkle in her eyes that only Hawk Moth had seen before, and it was back with Style Queen: the eyes of a murderess. She was fully ready to kill this man. "I'll ask you one more time."

Douglas got up and tried to swing a punch at her, but she dodged, and felt her dark fire in her hands, relishing the feeling of having it back, "Where is he?"

"HOLY MOTHER OF GOD, WHAT ARE YOU!?"

"Your worst nightmare." She launched her fire at his leg and he was back on the ground. And she transformed.

Her hair had silver highlights through it, giving it a bleached brunette look, her eyes were the deepest gold imaginable, and her suit was deep violet, almost black, with blue highlights and blood red bands creating the sense of boots; her hands also had red fingertips. On her chest was a red heart with thorns through it.

"And I'll be called Heartless."

 **A/N: And now Zoe is gonna beat the shit out of Doug. And yes, Zoe has powers, that's the canon reason she survived in** _ **Of Other Worlds**_ **. And we have learned a lot.**

 **So there was a time jump, skipping over many akumas that I'm too impatient to wait for, so I'll clarify. Both Eli/Mockingjay and Natalie/Mayura were getting worse with all of this going on, so the two decided to look for another way to bring back Emilie so this could end and nobody got hurt. Adrien and Zoe are both 16, but they decided to give Gabriel a chance before they called the police because he was being better to them, though Adrien still firmly hates his father.**

 **And remember to review to save the author kwami!**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: So excited, none of you will see this coming. Avenger2003, you don't like darker, move along, there is nothing to see here.**

 **Okay, so the canon Felix episode never happened. I'd say this would be—assuming the episodes are in chronological order like they are in this series—not long after Party Crasher.**

 **Warning - flashback of previous suicide attempt**

 **Credit to ChristiRose13 from here on out until the end.**

 **Chapter 23: Welcome to New York**

Hana Miller had been nine years old when she ended up with Douglas.

Having been orphaned and left on the streets at age six, she had been looking for food and shelter when she came across the supposedly abandoned warehouse, that was not abandoned at all. There was a secret society underground with labs and prisons.

It didn't take long for her to be caught.

They tortured her for a while, until they saw a…better use for her. They made her their slave and made her cater to their _every_ whim. She didn't trust men anymore, until she met Harrison and Eli.

Father and Son had only seen each other once after being captured. Hana had been so used to men hurting her that seeing both men so small and vulnerable was confusing.

Harrison and Eli both distrusted her at first, but eventually they just started asking for the other. She tried to help, but it always got her, and whichever had asked punished.

When she went to Paris, she took her promise to Harrison to heart. She was seventeen when it happened. But Harrison had taken her hand, and begged for her to protect his son. He didn't care for anything but his son, calling the boy his treasure and the only light left. Apparently he had lost his wife and his best friend at the same time and Eli was the only thing that mattered.

Eli hadn't trusted her at first, but when she stood up for him at the airport when he asked for something to eat, he grew to at least try to get to know her. For a while, he practically clung to her. It was strange to see the boy who was supposed to be a strong, undefeated superhero be a young teenager.

But that was what he was: a child. A child forced to grow up too fast. Just like she was.

They had both been beaten and hurt, but Eli got the blunt of it, as Douglas had a weird attraction to Hana, like Frodo and Esmerelda in _The Hunchback of Notre Dame_ , it was strange and harassing.

This was why Hana found herself attracted to girls, she always had, but the last nine years confirmed it.

When she saw Zoe Agreste for the first time, she had found an attraction to her, then she saw Eli's face and saw he was completely helpless at the sight of her. So she played wing-woman and subtly tripped the young model, leading to Eli catching her.

She got to know Zoe better and knew the two were perfect for each other, and she smiled, and was relieved, because Eli did not value his life in any way.

 _Hana went to check on Eli the second week upon landing. He had been chained up in the closet for a while, and was trying to recover from the shock his body went through with the starving and freezing cold._

 _She knocked softly, to got no answer. She opened the door and choked back a gasp._

 _Eli was standing in the windowsill, swaying from side to side slightly, looking down. There was a ledge down there that made it safe to get down, but she knew from his posture that he was thinking of the deadlier option._

 _"Eli," she only whispered it, afraid to say more lest she send Eli over the edge in fright. There was no response but she saw Eli's head move and turned in her direction. "Eli, hey, it's cold, and raining and you'll catch your death—" Her mind shuddered to a halt at that poor choice of words._

 _"_ _Han," Eli's voice vanished in the rumble of rain but she knows her name was being called, so she took a step forward._

 _Eli was in reach, but she wouldn't reach._

 _"_ _Talk to me," she said, finding her voice. Eli stared at her, rain dripping from the tip of his nose, briefly clinging to his eyelashes that seemed darker than before._

 _"_ _Everything hurts." He took another step closer and watched Eli's shoulders shake. "Dad would be free if I were to die, Douglas promised me that." There was a crack in his voice as Eli said his name and it splinters Hana's heart into tiny fragments._

 _"_ _I know," she said. "We did what we could. I did what I could."_

 _Eli shook his head, and looked at her, face crumpling as rainwater slides over its contours. "I should've…"_

 _She heard the desolate pained tone of Eli's words and shouts, not in anger but frustration and pain. "What Eli, what should you have done—tell me, because from where I stand, you did everything you could to help."_

 _There was a tiny hint of exasperation to Eli's next words and it made her want to hit something "Han…just…please go."_

 _"_ _No, because if I do, you'll do something monumentally stupid, and you will regret it." On reflection, those weren't the wisest words she could have said._

 _Eli huffed a laugh, and Hana almost teared up in happiness hearing the sound that had been missing from his being. Her joy however was short lived. Bitterness, colored Eli's tone as he said: "Nothing new then."_

 _Drastic action then. She made sure there was some distance between them and climbed up, trying not to look directly down at the ground that lay beneath them._

 _"_ _Hana?!" Eli's voice hitched and he turned precariously in her direction. "Get down! What are you doing?" He almost shrieked. "Have you forgotten about the life you still have a chance to lead!"_

 _She smiled sadly at Eli and shook her head, "What life? I'm just as dead as you." Eli's mouth dropped open, a gaping maw of insolent words and careful guidance that had yet to be spoken and may never be spoken if she didn't get this right. "Now we are both just as stupid as each other."_

 _"_ _Hana! Oh god—"_

 _For a brief second, she closed her eyes. When Harrison said protect him and watch him, he probably didn't intend to have her dangling over the edge of a wall alongside Eli. "Eli, whatever issues you have, you tell me. We will fix it okay? Together."_

 _Eli looked at her, mouth twisted in fear. "Han…get down!"_

 _She shook her head. "Not without you."_

 _"_ _Han—" Eli tried again._

 _"_ _Eli, please…for me, I am begging you to live. What about Ms. Agreste? You two hit it off." She waited, the seconds go by agonizingly slow before she saw a quick bob of Eli's head as she saw his mind go back to that night. She didn't move until Eli stepped carefully down from the ledge. Only once she was certain Eli's two feet were on solid ground did she maneuver herself off the ledge and over to Eli, who was skittish, shaking, and hiccuping sobs._

 _She gently pulled him in close to her and wraps her arm around his waist. Only then, did she feel her heartbeat begin to slow down into some semblance of normal._

 _A few beats passed before she broke the silence. "You're going to be alright," she said softly into his ear._

From then on, she used teasing words in hopes of bringing forth a smile, but when Eli turned around, with that same sort of "what's the point of anything" look that he had had on that night, she stopped and said "…I haven't seen you smile these past three days."

Eli's face stilled for a brief moment. It makes Hana wonder if her words were enough. On that day they weren't, she'd had to put herself on the line and there was nothing that would prevent her from doing it again because…Eli hadn't smiled in three days.

It was what she did. When she remembered, she counted. When it had been too long, she tried to make Eli smile because she couldn't face another test of their strength. Nobody was there to warn her.

She counted. And she worried. And she dreamed terrifying dreams in which Eli's broken body was the main feature. So when she could, she found watched Eli and counted the days since she last saw him smile because she needed to know, and she couldn't seem to function if she didn't.

Zoe had been a huge help, and while she had no idea what was going on, she was doing everything she could to help him. Felix too, who was going under Felix Sommers and it was adorable. And she still remembered the day Eli came in with a skip in his step and told her everything about his first date and every date after that.

Douglas had been livid that he had actually managed to score with her—because he was told Zoe and not Fireheart—but pointed out that if he was dating her as Mockingjay, it didn't count unless she knew his identity.

And it was clear Zoe knew now, and was a lot more powerful than anyone could have imagined, her irises such a deep gold it was inhumane, yet stunning.

"And you can call me Heartless."

…

"Dramatic intro?" Douglas asked, more than a little scared, "Really?"

Heartless crossed her arms, still levitating six inches off the ground, giving her a newfound height, "Would you rather I use that time torturing you?"

He growled, "I won't let in that easily."

"Well then." She turned both her hands into silver blades with black hilts that were formerly her wrists, "Now I can rip you to pieces."

"Yeah, it's kind of her thing." Heartless turned and saw Tigris, "What the fuck are you doing here?"

Tigris shrugged, "Just had a feeling something was going down."

"Okay then," Heartless shrugged, "Just don't intervene."

"ZOE!" Eli ran in, before collapsing in a coughing fit that required Hana—a name which suited her better than Linda in the opinion of many—to get a breathing treatment for him, but he pushed it away, "H-hold on…" he coughed again and let Hana give him the breathing treatment.

"I'm a little busy saving your Dad, love."

"Okay…" he took of the breathing treatment, ignoring the pain in his lungs, "I-I think I'm good. Princess, I know you want to torture him senseless… Hell, I want to torture him senseless…but is this the best way to save Dad?" Heartless blinked,

"Get the info, then use this prick as a trade? Is that a bad plan?" Eli smiled a little, flushing in embarrassment,

"Oh, well I guess that actually is a good plan. Just wanted to feel involved. Carry on."

Tigris grabbed some soda for Hana with the popcorn. Heartless decided to ignore them.

"I have been called a heartless bitch before. And now it fits. Talk," she held her blade up to his face, "Or give us a way to find out. If you don't, I get to have fun."

There was a pause, then, "Fine." She grinned with pointed teeth that were perfectly white, but had a look to them like they longed to be stained red with blood, "The journal in my top drawer."

"Good boy." He held up a key, and she nodded her thanks, pulling the journal out of the drawer. It didn't look like much, like a small black journal someone could get at Staples without paying more than ten bucks. She looked to him, "And by the way, I know Eli is Mockingjay and have kissed him. Need me to do it again?"

"YOU BRAT!" Nobody in the room was sure if he was talking to Heartless or Eli, not that it really mattered, because Heartless walked over to Eli and kissed him again, both of them enjoying it and giving Douglas the finger while doing do. She ruffled his hair.

"More of that later, but for now I will handle this." Douglas frowned at his bleeding crotch,

"Hm…." Tigris giggled,

"Psycho, psychic and their superhero friend." Douglas lurched up and threw some sort of water on Heartless,

"Holy water!" Nothing happened. Heartless just shook off the water, annoyed, and forced him back down with her mind.

"I'm a Heartless, not possessed." She rolled her eyes, "So I could technically eat your heart."

Eli chuckled at his captor's misfortune at the hands of his beloved, "It certainly is dark enough." He paused, "Tigris, where is Felix?"

"The hospital with poor Dr. Winston." Eli sighed and got up,

"Don't wait for me, I have to go grab my son. Back in ten." He jogged off.

"Eli's a father?" Douglas wheezed, after Heartless kicked him in the gut.

"Adopted, but yeah. Anyway, let's get back to the lucky grandfather!" Her hair was standing in all directions like she had rubbed a ballon around it, making it go all over the place. The moment was ruined by Hana slurping her diet coke.

"Can you leave my house?" Douglas asked hopefully.

"Can I flay you alive?" Sweat-drop.

"N-No….just take the journal and go! It has my notes and to-do list. It should say where Harrison is!" Tigris glared, knowing this was too easy,

"Eli said you can call to have his father killed. I'm getting a vision you have the number." That got a smug response out of the bastard.

"How do you know I haven't already called to do it? All I have to do is press a button to send the signal."

Heartless was reading the journal, "Hm…Eli's being disobedient… LOCKED HIM IN A CLOSET FOR DAYS ON END WITHOUT FOOD REPEATEDLY?!" She jerked up, "I'll kill you!"

"He needs to send a signal to have Harrison killed!" Tigris said in panic, while Douglas gulped comically at the angry demoness before him. Heartless held up a black remote with a big red button,

"So that's what this remote does…" Douglas' eyes widened in horror.

"N-No! That's the television remote! Don't mind the big red button that says DO IT." Heartless rolled her eyes,

"There is a label that says 'Harrison Sommers'…I'm not sure if this is corny or funny. And it was in your pocket."

Douglas threw his head back, "Those were my last words. If you could kill me now, that would be great."

"But Doug," Heartless bat her eyelashes in a manner that would be innocent if it weren't coming from a beautiful devil, "that's not how I roll, especially if someone hurts my loved ones."

"No swift and painless?"

"No." Tigris got up from the chair and left, while Hana took her popcorn.

"I'm not into horror movies and vomited during the 1989 adaptation of _Pet Semetery_ , so imma go." She left as Eli came back carrying Felix.

"Babe? Can we save Dad first? I…don't think Doug is going anywhere anytime soon."

"I need a number!" Heartless shrieked mostly to herself, "This is just a big red button!" Felix frowned,

"Dada? Why does Mama look all shadowy?"

"Well, Mama is busy beating up a bad guy." Felix raised an eyebrow,

"Mama looks all fiery when she does that." Eli sighed wistfully,

"Yeah, she does."

Douglas huffed, "Get a room! The number is 268-382-1847." **(Random numbers, do not call.)**

Heartless pulled out her phone and dialed the number, "Hello?"

 _"_ _Hello, this is James at McDonalds, how may I help you?"_

Heartless giggled, "I would like one living and unharmed Harrison Sommers for delivery please."

 _"_ _Harrison Sommers? Ma'am, this is a McDonalds."_

Heartless narrowed her eyes, "I have Douglas tied up, bleeding out and about to be tortured."

 _"_ _HOLY FUCK, FINE, HERE'S HARRISON!"_ There were sounds of scuffling until there was a new voice on the phone, one that sounded both parts confused and terrified, _"H-Hello?"_

"This is Fireheart. You're free now."

 _"_ _Wh-What do you mean? Is Eli okay?!"_

"Eli is fine." She assured, "And I'm trading Doug here for you."

 _"_ _Thank you! Thank you so much! I'm currently tied up at the moment…can you pick me up? I want a piece of the action."_

"Location?"

Harrison hummed quietly, _"Well I'm being held captive, so realistically I shouldn't know where I am. But nothing is realistic. Let's just say a cliche abandoned warehouse."_

"He's in fucking New York." Douglas groaned, "He's delirious. Been giving him some drugs with his food because Eli's been giving us trouble."

Heartless dialed Chloe's number, "Chlo! I need a private jet!"

 _"_ _Yellow or orange?"_

"I don't give any fucks!"

 _"_ _I do! Pick a fucking color!"_

"The blood of my enemies!" She looked to Douglas, baring her pointed teeth, "I can even paint it."

 _"_ _Okay. Red plane. Come to the hotel and pick it up."_ Chloe hung up, and Heartless hogtied Douglas and shoved him in a sack that she carried to the hotel. Chloe saw Heartless and gawked,

"The fuck?! Someone got an upgrade! And isn't that Eli's uncle?"

"I'm powerful, and this is Eli's captor. We need to get to New York. Felix and Eli are coming too. We won't be long."

"Okay then…" Chloe just ran her hands through her hair the she had gotten cut—it was now shoulder length—"Bye Satan, have a nice flight." She threw Heartless the keys, "This might be illegal too, but meh, who needs a license?"

Heartless used her powers to autopilot "Thanks Chlo!" The Bee Miraculous materialized in Chloe's hands with Pollen. Chloe hugged the kwami.

At the moment, Eli was trying to explain to his son that Douglas was tied up because he was a bad man.

"What did he do?" Felix asked, holding his teddy bear that had faced the accidental wrath of a blowtorch, hence the name Crispy the Bear.

"He hurt Dada." Heartless said simply, flipping some switches to get the plan going. Felix glared and kicked Douglas, "Bad Doug!" Douglas glared, narrowing his eyes at the small child.

"That kid is how old?"

"Sixteen months." Eli replied.

"He's…freaky…" Douglas said after a moment, "Just like both of his parents." Heartless zipped his mouth shut with a flick of her wrist and Eli grinned to his son,

"We're gonna go see Grandpa!" Felix cheered.

"Dada, can I have some candy please? We also need to get some for Gramps!" Eli nodded and took him into the back room of the jet. Heartless unzipped Doug's lips so she could torture him properly.

"You kids are sixteen and seventeen," he said, "what makes you think you can be parents?"

"Because we're doing better than you." Heartless snapped, crossing her arms.

"I wasn't meant to raise Eli! I was meant to use him then kill both him and his father!" He realized his error at the look on Heartless' face, her insane smile as she slowly cocked her head like one would in a horror movie.

"What did you say?" She asked slowly, venom lacing her tone as her right hand turned to a blade. "Say that again, I dare you." When he didn't speak, she shoved it into his leg.

He screamed.

OoOoO

Darkness.

That was all Dausi LeMay knew for years.

It wasn't the worst thing ever, she supposed, because the darkness gave her time to learn. She was created from pain and suffering, but with Zoe off being happy, she had time to learn the values of humanity.

It was…strange. Very much so. For every thing she learned, she felt remorse for what she had done in her wretched existence. She wished she could fade away.

But what she did was the opposite. She saw a bright light and she found herself as a fruit fly in the city of Paris. What was this? Why was she this way?

She flew around and into a clothes store, taking in the sights of the city. Then she yelped when she flew into a dress, and found herself in a human body. Fortunately, she was in the dress.

She bit her new lip. She could shapeshift. That was interesting.

She grabbed some more things of clothing and went into the dressing room, looking in the mirror.

She appeared to be roughly eighteen, with a slender build and fair skin. She had golden eyes, rosy cheeks, thin lips, long pale-brown, bangs down her forehead, and a light dusting of freckles. She decided to mess with her shapeshifting and increased her breast size by a cup or so.

Her outfit was a pair of torn blue jeans and a black _Hamilton_ t-shirt.

Nobody questioned her leaving, so she left and decided to look around the city.

OoOoO

"OH OW THE HORROR! HELP ME! OW MY ARM! GAAHH!" Heartless used her demon power ruthlessly until her phone rang.

"'ello."

 _"_ _Adrien's 'Zoe senses' are tinging."_ Marinette said simply, " _And Evelyn said you are getting into trouble. Are you doing anything that would cause Gabriel to get a call from the police?"_

"Nah. Just on a rescue mission to New York. Just torturing and rescuing."

Marinette groaned, _"Who are you rescuing?"_

"Eli's Dad."

 _"…_ _.Alright. Pick up American candy and be home by nine on Sunday. Do you have Felix? If so, try torturing people in a different room."_

"Yeah, doing that." She hung up and walked back to her boyfriend and son, "We should be landing in the hour."

"Yay!" Felix giggled, "Can I be a superhero too!" Eli nodded,

"Of course. Pixie Girl and the Sorcerer will help us gladly!"

The plane landed and as Heartless reverted back to Fireheart and shoved Douglas in the bag, walking out on as she shrunk the plane and put it in her pocket.

"Wow!" Squeak cheered, "Look at all the pretty things!" He gasped as a giant vine grew a few blocks away, chasing after a troll of some sort.

Mockingjay grinned, flying away at top speed, followed by Fireheart and squeak. She watched as he flew down and activated his special power, Sonic Blast, at the troll, causing it to fly back into a vine prison.

The people were ecstatic at the return of the bird themed hero, and Fireheart's appearance made the cheers even louder

"Mockingjay!" The two other heroes ran over and the group flew to the top of the Empire State building.

The Sorcerer had red hair and light blue eyes. He wore a dark blue suit, blue cloak, and blue hat. His hands were gloved and his star-tipped staff was blue. He wore a blue and black mask on his face

Pixie Girl had long blonde hair, which included bangs and a high ponytail, and light green eyes. She wore a pink mask over her eyes, a pink bodysuit with white lower arms, lower legs and neckline. At the center of her neckline was a green diamond. A light pink flower with a slightly darker center was attached to the top of her ponytail and a green string was tied around her hips with a similar flower as the one seen in her hair attached above the knot. Her wings were a translucent white with hints of pink at the tips.

She ran and crushing Mockingjay into a hug.

"We missed you!"

"I missed you too, Pixie." Mockingjay said cheerfully, a whole new life in his eyes. He gestured for Fireheart and Squeak to come over, "I was captured by the terrorists, but if I hadn't been taken to Paris, I would have never met my girlfriend, or my son." Squeak was playing with Pixie's wings,

"Hi!" The Sorcerer picked him up,

"He's a cutie. But if you found love, why are you back?"

Mockingjay sighed, "My father is being held prisoner here. We need your help." Pixie Girl frowned and bit her lip, deep in thought.

"There's an old warehouse on the edge of town." The Sorcerer said softly, but raised an octave as Mockingjay collapsed into Fireheart's arms, changing back.

"Dada!" Pixie Girl and the Sorcerer gasped as Fireheart took his hands and pulled out some sort of meditation app, holding his hand.

"Eli, love, just breathe. In, out, in, out." He kept coughing and Fireheart brought his breathing treatment into existence. "Shhhh, it's okay, i've got you. I'm taking you to the hotel."

"No…" he wheezed, "Dad…"

"We'll handle it." Pixie Girl assured, and Fireheart ran to the hotel, dropped him off with Squeak, and ran back, having used her Worldbender power to slow time as she ran. The Sorcerer gaped.

"What are you?"

"A Goddess." She said with a shrug, "How about we go now." She picked up the Douglas sack, which she realized was strangely limp. That might have had something to do with when she dropped it off the building…well…good thing she hadn't been planning to really trade, and just do some murdering. But she was put out that he had truly gotten swift and painless.

Her eyes changed to gold as she tracked down Harrison, using Pixie Girl and the Sorcerer as guides.

"Okay. Here's the plan, Sorcerer, use your powers to create a shield around the building. Pixie, you do lookout." Both heroes seemed taken aback at being told what to do, but then they remembered Eli weak and gasping for breath, and they complied. Fireheart transformed into Heartless and stalked into the building.

Some guards jumped in shock and tried to shoot her, but the bullets ricocheted off her body and she felt only dull annoyance as she snapped their necks with a tilt of her head.

There were many floors where she killed the guards in new creative ways that are too graphic to say aloud, just that even an ice cold coroner would vomit.

She dumped the sack of dead bodies at the feet of James the fake McDonalds employee, and he lost his lunch.

"Just—take Harrison!" Heartless snapped her fingers and he exploded. She opened the door and Harrison looked at her, his emerald green eyes somewhat crossed and his brown hair was unkept and messy.

"Who are you…?"

"Fireheart. I got a power up." She untied him, and he fainted in her arms.

Heartless could only smile as she flew up all the flights of stairs.

And the building exploded as she left.

Pixie Girl and the Sorcerer with both shocked this was the woman Mockingjay was dating.

OoOoO

Dausi had run into Adrien—Marinette was helping her parents at the bakery—and was explaining to him what happened, and Adrien panicked as the shapeshifter vanished without a trace.

"I thought everything was normal!" He shouted to himself, then frowned, "Well…for Zoe, it is normal." He still knew that he needed someone to keep an eye on her. He sneered to himself, because he knew full well who he had to call. Maybe he could finally reveal the deep hatred he had been keeping for two years.

…

Gabriel was trying to make cookies.

Even though he hadn't always been a billionaire, cooking had never been his specialty. His brother, Victor, was the one who was better at that. But he was trying to make that pumpkin chocolate-chip cookies she always made. She had some extremely detailed instructions in a surprisingly beautiful cookbook. He just couldn't cook.

He was trying to apologize to Zoe properly. He'd had no idea how truly awful she had it. He needed to make it up to her, and one thing she had taught him—other than how to disguise completely as a different person or stealing from a store without getting caught—was that the best way to a woman's heart was food.

His phone rang and he used his chin to accept the call. It was Adrien.

"Yes Adrien? What do you need?"

 _"_ _F…Father…"_ Adrien said, _"Zoe is causing mayhem in New York and you need to go make sure she doesn't kill too many people."_

"And how would I do that?" Gabriel asked, "She's Zoe. I may be starting to get along with her now, but I can't spy on her on another continent." And then Adrien lost it,

 _"_ _WHAT ABOUT YOUR DEMON BUTTERFLIES?! Really though, suck a dick."_

"What?! You know?!" He felt his stomach plummet, Zoe had promised not to tell him…

"I-I'm doing this for us!" But the damage had been done and Adrien was just venting now.

 _"_ _I have known for two years! Zoe didn't tell me, I found out on my own! You tried to kill both me and Zoe! She told me to give you a chance, but the second you fuck up, the cops will be on your ass!"_

"NO ADRIEN!" Gabriel begged, feeling tears in his eyes at the venom in his son's tone, "I was trying to get your mother back!"

 _"_ _About that…what is with that creepy coffin room?"_

"Y-You went down there?"

 _"_ _Duh. Zoe knew the passcode and we were curious as to what was down there. Is it like a shrine? Because she's fucking dead."_

"She's not dead…" Gabriel tried to put the cookies in the oven while talking—unaware he had put powdered sugar in the cookies instead of flour, "I just want to make our family complete…"

 _"_ _Do I need to remind you of Style Queen?"_ Gabriel's mind flashed back to that day, and had to take an anti-nausea pill. That day still haunted his dreams for more reasons than Zoe's insanity. _"Or Gorizilla, or Riposte, or the numerous attempts on Zoe's life."_ He couldn't argue with that. _"YOU COULD NOT BEGIN TO KNOW HOW MUCH I HATE YOU!"_

Gabriel wanted to cry, but he needed to remain calm, "Really? That teenage angst cliche?"

He could hear Adrien laugh insanely, _"I've been waiting so long to say this, waiting for Zoe to not stop me. PRETENDING TO BE YOUR GOLDEN SON WHEN I KNOW YOU WOULD SACRIFICE ME TO GET MOM BACK!"_

Gabriel froze in horror, not noticing the cookies exploding in the oven. Why would Adrien think that? He knew Zoe suspected it…he knew there was a possibility, but he was also going to do everything he could to ensure that didn't happen.

"Just come home and we can talk in-depth." He said quietly, "Exactly how much do you know?"

 _"_ _Everything, except what the fuck happened to Mom. I heard you talking to Natalie during the Mayura revelation, Zoe didn't knock me out successfully. So fuck you and your stupidity."_

"Watch your language when speaking to your father, boy!" Gabriel snapped.

 _"_ _FUUUUUUUUUUCK YOOOOOOUUUUUU!"_ Adrien chuckled, _"Oh, this feels so good to get off my chest. Remember when you gave me shit about keeping secrets after you almost killed me? Hypocrite. And the Collector, you were just gas-lighting me! I am not your son, GABRIEL!"_

"Stop…" Gabriel begged. He had heard this lecture from Zoe and it was irritating, but hearing it from the son he would give the world for broke his already broken heart in a thousand pieces as a knife twisted in his stomach, "Just…j-just stop…please…"

 _"_ _I have been abused in every way short of sexually!"_ He took a breath, and what he said what practically a whisper, but not an apology, _"I hope you…burn."_

"I…I…fuck you…" Gabriel hung up and dropped the phone onto the ground and the world felt like it went in slow motion as he fell to his knees and sobbed, holding his head, not noticing the cookie dough bubbling over. The whole world was crumbling around him.

"Adrien…" He muttered to himself as salty tears ran down his cheeks, "I'd do anything for you to be my son again…"

At that moment, the dark void appeared and a woman stepped out, "You need my help?"

 **A/N: Yes, Adrien was OOC, but he had been holding in that rage for two years. And there is a new piece of the puzzle with a new villain.**

 **Remember to review and save the author kwami!**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: GUYS, CHEETO NEEDS REVIEWS!**

 **Chapter 24: Mistakes were made, men were lost (but no women because reasons)**

Gabriel took deep breaths, trying to suppress a panic attack or hide the screams that tore from his throat in anguish, "I-It's okay…wh-when I bring Emilie back…he'll forget everything…I'll start over…" He felt an icy hand on his shoulder and he jumped, "WHAT THE FUCK?! INTRUDER!"

It was a strikingly beautiful woman with pale skin and narrow waist, likely enhanced by a tight corset. She had long moonlit white hair and sculptured brows above her deep golden eyes.

Her voice was rich and cultured, "I'm Mara." She flicked her wrist and Natalie was sent flying backwards into the wall, "Want my help or not? Because the boy won't forget."

Gabriel wiped his tears and helped Natalie up, "Quite the way to show you want an alliance."

"You screamed for help."

"And you broke in. But what do you mean Adrien won't forget?"

"Because the girl, Zoe, is a Worldbender, just like her sister," Mara explained, "If you perform the wish, they will not only remember, but also be your daughters. And I did not break in, I just came in."

"M-My daughters?" His eyes widened. He didn't mind Zoe, one could say he saw her as a friend, but the aspect of her being his biological child was odd, because she wouldn't be the same person, and she'd be extremely pissed if she did remember, "Oh god, please no. Tell me what I have to do to get Adrien back. And Natalie, please up the security. I don't want police to just 'come in'."

"I can help you." Mara said, "In return, I want both girls and the boy, Eli Sommers."

"What's the boy got to do with anything?" Natalie asked.

"Amelia Blackwell, known as the White Sparrow, and Kelly Carpenter, formerly known as Lionheart. I defeated the duo, but their children are going to be a massive thorn in my side."

Gabriel huffed, "Fine. Whatever. Just get Adrien on my side and get me the Miraculouses." Zoe wouldn't mind, she'd kill this bitch and would thank him for handing her a new person to kill.

Mara crossed her arms, "You sure about that? Because if you use the wish, your son will either die or be against you forever. There is no starting over." Gabriel ran his hands through his messy hair,

"I need to sleep on this. Please leave."

"Can't. You summoned me and dear Amelia used her final moments to bind me to only those who summon me. If it makes you feel better, I know of a way to keep your son with you." Gabriel turned to face her,

"And have him not hate me?" Mara smirked,

"I mean…there might be side effects. But I can turn him." Gabriel pursed his lips together, pacing for a second, before…

"Do it."

Mara grinned darkly, and snapped her fingers. There were all in the observatory where Adrien was comatose on a dark alter surrounded by glowing purple gems, his ankles and wrists were bound to the alter.

"It will take time." Mara said, "But while he sleeps, his mind will be twisted to your favor."

Gabriel nodded, biting his lip, "You can stay in the guest room." Mara nodded her thanks and vanished.

…

Once alone, Mara laughed, looking in the mirror, "Foolish man, thinking he can control me. That boy will be my soulless pawn, the perfect leverage I need."

…

"I think you're making a huge mistake, sir." Natalie said. Nooroo emerged,

"Master, she's right. Mara is known for turning on her allies." Gabriel frowned deeply,

"You know of her?"

"Every kwami does. She's known as the kwami killer, the only one who figured out how to do it. May Pikko, the lion kwami, rest in peace. But I would be she is sucking Adrien's soul!"

Gabriel gasped, "I just need to be one step ahead of her. I already have on unstable Zoe in my deck that Mara doesn't."

"Adrien's already in stasis," Nooroo explained, "It's too late if she really is turning on you."

"No…." Gabriel breathed, "Is it too late to wake him up?"

"Not necessarily. Zoe could wake him up if she knows the full strength of her powers."

"Well, it won't be hard to get her to save Adrien." He said with a sigh, "And remembering her episode yesterday, I would say she knows. The problem is that she's in New York."

"You have to be careful," Nooroo pleaded, "If Mara knows you suspect, she could destroy Adrien's soul and he'll be worse than Emilie!"

"What about Eden?" Natalie suggested, "She's going around saying she's psychic. Maybe she has her powers."

…

Mara was chilling in the bath when she jerked up, "Another summoner! Sweet. Haven't gotten one in nearly fifteen years!" She got dressed and teleported to the home of an Italian girl.

"Hello child. I'm Mara, here to make your desires a reality. You desire Adrien Agreste and want Ladybug dead."

The girl grinned evilly, "I'm Lila. And that sounds perfect. I also want all of Marinette's friends to turn on her! And Eden Imelda while you're at it, show them what a liar she is!"

"Good. My price is Zoe, Eden, and Eli Sommers."

Lila narrowed her eyes, "Eli? No. He's beautiful, and he is mine. But Zoe and Eden are _all_ yours." Then she frowned, "Fine. If that's the price."

Mara took her hand and the mark of a black raven was branded on Lila's palm, "Use this power as you wish. But bring Eden Imelda to me." Lila ran off happily and Mara went back to her guest room and get prepared for her takeover—she hadn't been able to handle her appearance in fourteen years and needed to look good for getting revenge.

What she hadn't told Lila, was that the use of the power would destroy her soul and make her a perfect puppet.

OoOoO

Gabriel stroked Adrien's cheek, a tear falling down his cheek. He had really fucked up this time, and while Adrien looked very peaceful, he was fighting for his soul.

"My son…" he breathed, letting himself cry, "I'm so so sorry."

Mara appeared, "Having doubts?"

He sighed, "Will Adrien still be my son?" Mara was clearly confused by the question,

"I'm not changing DNA, you sired him, so he will still be your son. Do you mean personality?" Gabriel nodded, unable to speak through the lump in his throat, "I'm changing his morals and values. Obviously not."

"…Can…is it possible…to take back our alliance. Maybe it isn't worth it…"

"Impossible." Mara replied, "That mark on your palm is permanent. I mean, I could do this…" She clenched her fist and Adrien started gasping, getting paler.

"What are you doing?!" Gabriel shrieked, "Stop, please!"

"Want to take it back now?"

Gabriel clenched his fist, looking at the symbol on his other palm, "I-I didn't…."

"I can kill him." Mara said, "I will. I can destroy his soul and make him never wake up, just like your precious Emilie."

"N-No, please! Please spare him!" He got on his knees, pleading with her to spare his child. Mara smirked,

"He's mine. And if you misbehave, he pays the price. Unless of course," Gabriel looked up in hope, "You give me someone in exchange for him."

"Zoe." He said without hesitation, knowing the insane woman would kill the witch in seconds.

"Nope. She's mine already according to our terms. An equal sacrifice." Gabriel thought about it deeply, looking at his son,

"Ladybug or Cat Noir?"

"Wrong again." Mara mocked, "And Cat Noir is right here." She pointed to Adrien, "Meaning the Cat Miraculous is mine, thank you for that."

Gabriel gasped, "W-What…no…he—that's why he hates me! I've hurt him…what have I done…?" His mind flashed to Adrien's rant, then the fight on the Heroes' Day where he punched his own son in the gut repeatedly, beating him senseless. Adrien had every right to be mad! He sobbed and screamed until he felt a hand on his shoulder, he looked up and saw Adrien staring at him with a spirit-like glow and golden eyes identical to Mara's, "A-Adrien!"

"You killed me…" He vanished and Gabriel got to his feet,

"NO! He can't be gone! I only wanted thing to go back…to the way they were…" He glared, "Leave me with him."

"Fine. He has until midnight." Mara left and Natalie came in, seeing her boss showing more emotion than he had since Emilie was lost.

"Adrien, I'm sorry. I'll find a way to save you and set this right." Gabriel begged, holding Adrien's hand, "I don't care if you hate me and want to run away, I'll give you money so you can go anywhere and even agree to a restraining order…please…"

"Sir, what if you gave her Emilie?"

"What?" Gabriel looked up, "You mean…"

"Do you think she'd want to live with her son gone? Emilie is on the brink, and Adrien is still young."

Gabriel nodded, "Fine. But as a last resort. For now, get Zoe on the phone."

OoOoO

Zoe was having a lovely time in New York. Eli had gotten better from his episode, and Harrison was still loopy as hell, but the little family was out getting candy and shopping. They were having a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant when the phone rang.

It was Natalie. _"Zoe!"_

"I'm kind of in the middle of something." Zoe said, stepping outside and brushing down her beautiful red dress.

 _"_ _It's about Adrien."_

"Does he need food?" Zoe asked, "Because he knows I'm in New York with my boyfriend and son on a much deserved vacation. What about Marinette?"

 _"_ _He's comatose because Gabriel accidentally sold his soul to the devil."_

Zoe froze, "Did I just hear that right?" She shouldn't have left Gabriel alone to his own devices!

 _"_ _You are the only one powerful enough to save him."_ Natalie explained, and Zoe paid the bill, took the food to-go, and made it back to the hotel where Harrison was watching _Orphan Black_ on live TV.

"How long do I have?" She asked, starting to pack their things, "I need an hour to pack up and get the jet and another five or so to get to Paris."

 _"_ _He only has until midnight."_ Natalie said. Zoe frowned,

"Okay…it's nine over there and three over here…" She thought about it, formulating a plan. "I've already tried teleporting and I accidentally brought a carrot to life that tried to savagely beat a housekeeper to death."

 _"_ _I think that if you save him, Gabriel's mind will be truly changed for the better. We have no idea how to ask Eden for help."_

Zoe unbound her hair from the braided bun it was in, "SWEET JESUS I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!" Eli tried to take her hand,

"Princess?"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, I'M PANICKING!" Zoe sighed, "Sorry love, things have gone to shit back in Paris and we need to get back in three hours." She looked back to the phone, "Nat, I'm gonna have to call you back. I need to plan." She hung up and saw Harrison looking more lucid than he had been since she had met him,

"Ask Kelly."

"He got sent away." Harrison said simply, "If anyone could bring him back, it would be you." Eli took Zoe's hand and kissed her smooth cheek tenderly,

"Just try Princess," He said softly, brushing away her stress-induced tears, "It's gonna be okay."

Zoe sucked in a breath, hugging Felix, who was clinging to her legs, and then a sparkling portal appeared. Eli bowed,

"Ladies first."

Zoe nodded and found himself in a small apartment probably in Tibet judging by the view outside. She heard noises from the bedroom and opened the door to see her Dad weeping while flipping through a scrapbook.

He was a very attractive man, with well-kept dark brown hair, tan skin and piercing blue eyes, and just enough stubble to be considered a beard. He had a muscular build, but not overly so like the Rock, more like Artem Chigvintsev—a man who she had nothing against seeing shirtless and was thankful Eli had those wonderful pecs and abs so she didn't require her brother and Dad for eye-candy.

Kelly looked up, pulling out a gun, "Who's there?!" And Zoe ran into his arms, "Dad!" Kelly gassed, and stroked her hair,

"Zoe…."

"Oh no…" Eli's eyes widened, "I'm not ready to meet the parents!"

Kelly held his daughter, as though he expected she would vanish, but upon hearing Felix squeal, "Pops!" He looked up,

"Who's he? He looks threatening to your virtue—SWEET JESUS, HE WAS!"

Eli pointed to himself, "Me? A threat to _her_ virtue? She's the threat to mine. But I wouldn't have it any other way."

Zoe looked up at her tall father—with Kelly being 6'4, Zoe being 5'1 and Eli being 5'11, she felt rather small—"Dad, Adrien's on a hunting trip. And he hasn't been home in a few days. It's time to come home."

"Nice reference." He smiled happily, "Is Amelia okay? That bastard Fu banished me to this world before I could get her a cure."

Eli started getting sheepish, "She died over ten years ago…I'm her son…" Kelly gasped,

"So I was right…time really did even out between our worlds at Zoe's birth…" He bit his lip, clearly mourning his partner, "I remember you, Eli. I know you won't remember me." He placed his hands gently on Eli's temples, and both Eli's eyes and the Miraculous began to glow, "Better?" Eli brightened, and hugged Kelly,

"Uncle Kelly!" Zoe frowned,

"You two know each other?" Kelly turned,

"Yeah! I'm his godfather. I've known Amelia since we left the womb, namely because we had the same birthday and, no joke, got swapped at the hospital. Our parents became friends, and when my parents died via drunk driving, the Blackwell family took me in."

"Guys!" Zoe threw up her hands, "I'm glad you aren't gonna kill my boyfriend, and I wish we could have a mor emotional reunion, but we need to go beat up Mara!"

"MARA?!" Kelly roared and it actually scared Felix into hiding behind his mother's legs. Kelly softened and soothed the child, keeping him from crying in fright, "Sorry…Mara and I have been enemies for thirty years. She cursed Amelia." Eli's eyes widened, and Zoe panicked,

"Now she has Adrien's soul! Eden and I are supposed to be the only ones who can save him." Kelly's eyes widened and Jaay emerged,

"That's what Mara did to Amelia! She didn't succeed in the stasis as Amelia knew what was up, so she poisoned herself, and since her sacrifice was to save Eli, it trapped Mara in a void."

"Let's go kick her ass then." Zoe said simply, "She touched Adrien and as such is gonna die a horrible death."

Kelly nodded, "We need to go, now."

OoOoO

Adrien was trapped surrounded in black, nothing but black and the sounds of a woman's laughter and sent chills up his spine.

"Help me!" He shrieked, as he felt the dark closing in on him and it hurt, oh god it hurt, like he was drowning and he was so close to the surface, but something was pulling him down. He started crying, "H-Help me…"

"Adrien!" That voice…Adrien stood up and started looking around for it, until he saw Plagg run into his hand, "Adrien! I found you!" The little cat was shaking, big green eyes wide with fear.

"Plagg! Where are we?"

Plagg nodded to himself, "The recesses of your mind. I've been able to protect you, but I don't know for how long!"

"Not." They both turned and Mara held up the Cat Miraculous and Plagg was sucked in with a yelp, and the witch left.

Adrien felt the world close in on his faster, and he screamed.

OoOoO

Eden ran to Fu as fast as her legs could take her, wielding a bat. She wished Zoe was here, because their lives had taken a _Shaun of the Dead_ turn, and there was a manhunt in search of one Eden Imelda led by Lila… or some demonic version of Lila who looked like someone who had been brought back from the dead in _Pet Semetery_ meets Volpina. She had the power to animate the dead and bring them under her control and it was terrifying.

"Fu! Lila's going on a rampage! What's going on?" Fu was pacing,

"She's back."

"Who? Because Adrien is AWOL, Zoe is off killing people in New York, there are zombies everywhere and the Miraculous team is evacuating the city."

"I…" Fu paused, "I think Mara is back."

"Mar…what does that mean? The fuck does that mean?!"

"Let's just say she's an evil witch and she has to out for you, Zoe, your Dad, and Eli."

"And apparently the rest of Paris." Eden snapped, looking out the window at the zombies in the street, "Nobody followed me. Did Zoe go back in time to kill Hitler again?" Yeah… after the Timetagger incident, Zoe found out how to create a pocket universe and when she couldn't get a barbie to kill, she would go to her pocket universe and kill Hitler in new creative ways, 63 as of now.

And so Fu explained everything.

And Eden, sweet little Eden, punched him.

OoOoO

Gabriel cried, burying his face in Adrien's shirt.

"Please Adrien…fight it…don't leave me…" He begged. Adrien had stopped twitching and murmuring incoherent words, almost as though he was giving in.

His phone rang and he picked up to hear it was Zoe, _"Gabe, anything?"_

"N-No news…what are you doing right now?"

"I'm in the hotel getting my hair cut and formulating a plan. My current plan might get us all killed, but, if it works, it will be a totally boss story. Cool?"

"I'll do anything." He said, trying to ignore the idea that Zoe, who was trademarked for her striking eyes and extremely long hair was getting a hair cut.

 _"_ _Where is Eden, she's important. And I will be beating the shit out of you for that later. Or do you know the name she must be—"_ she gasped, _"Evelyn…"_ He heard Zoe curse herself, _"Never mind that. Do you still have your Miraculous?"_

"Yeah."

 _"_ _Okay. Good. I talked to Dad, who says she's gonna turn Adrien into a puppet with only her will and nothing more. We need to hurry. Eden's number is 425-229-1620."_

Gabriel hung up and called Eden,

 _"_ _Hello, this is Evelyn Autumn, psychic P.I. How may I help you? Because I'm a little busy."_

"Eden, when did you become a P.I?"

That got her attention, _"Who is this?"_

"If I tell you, you'll hang up."

 _"_ _Gabriel Agreste, long time no see, asshole."_ Gabriel sighed, _"To answer your question, a girl's gotta pay her bills. I felt rude taking up the Dupain-Chengs' space, so I pay rent to live with them. I'm a police consultant as of three months ago."_

Gabriel pulled out his second phone and called Zoe again, and Zoe continued with her plan,

 _"_ _Okay, you got her. Get her location and have you or Natalie give her the Butterfly Miraculous."_

Gabriel huffed, "Eden, where are you?"

 _"_ _And let you kidnap me again? No!"_

"Zoe need me to give you my Miraculous. Believe me or don't help your sister."

Eden sighed, _"I'm walking to the park and fighting zombies. Roari, stripes on. Okay, why do you need me?"_

"So you're at the park, wait there." Gabriel hung up both phones, "NATALIE!" Natalie ran in and he unclipped his Miraculous and gave it to her, "Take my Miraculous to the park and give it to Eden."

Natalie nodded, "Will it save Adrien?"

"I hope so."

…

"Stop fighting me, boy!" Mara ordered, pressing in on the darkness harder. Adrien couldn't breathe, and was on his knees,

"I-I just have to…g-give…Zoe…time…"

…

Natalie ran out the door and saw all the zombie, "Well…shit…" She transformed with the Peacock Miraculous and sprinted away from all of the undead horrors. "Dead is better, dead i better!" She shouted to herself, being forced to run in heels! If this dress was any longer, she'd be tripping over it.

She saw Tigris battling some zombies and assisted.

"Mayura?! What are you doing here?"

"No time! We need to get somewhere safe!" Tigris nodded to herself and they ran into the bakery.

…

Mara slipped on the Cat Miraculous. "Let's see what you can do, little cat."

"Never!" Plagg snapped. Mara giggled,

"Adrien isn't your wielder anymore. Even if he was, he belongs to me." Plagg bit her, but with a gesture, his mouth was zipped shut.

"ADRIEN!"

At that moment, Adrien looked up in the darkness of his mind, having heard his kwami's cries, "Plagg?! I can't…I can't give in…Plagg, hang on, I'll save you…"

Mara laughed, feeling all that power at her fingertips, "You can try, Agreste."

…

Mayura threw the Butterfly Miraculous at Eden and called Gabriel, "What is the plan?"

 _"_ _According to Zoe, the plan if for Eden to use the Butterfly Miraculous to akumatize Natalie into a portal creating hero to bring Zoe and crew from New York to Paris."_

Eden nodded and transformed with the Miraculous, sending the butterfly at Natalie. "Vortex, will you help me?"

"Of course." She transformed and created a portal, and the team ran through it. Zoe's hair was just shorter than shoulder length. She gasped at the sight of her friend-apparently-sister, and she rushed into a hug.

Kelly ran and grabbed both his little girls and spun them as they squealed happily as a true joyful family.

"Oh my babies…I missed you both." Eden started crying,

"I'm sorry, Showy…I wanted to tell you…"

"Fu to blame?" Kelly asked, and Eden nodded, nuzzling up with her Dad and sister, "He kicked me out too…" Kelly tried to hide his rage, but everyone noticed it.

Eden nodded, "So why exactly are we allies with Hawky and Mayura?"

"Because Adrien has been captured." Zoe replied, "So come on, let's go save him."

…

Adrien sobbed, "I'm so sorry…" he gave in.

 _"_ _NO!"_ Plagg internally shrieked, _"ADRIEN!"_

…

They made it to the mansion in record time, with Natalie staying behind to eat and recover from the drain of the Peacock Miraculous, Harrison stayed behind too due to being loopy.

They found Gabriel sobbing on the ground and Adrien standing with his back to them.

"Zoe." He said softly, still not facing them, "You came for me. I'm so flattered." He turned to face them, revealing golden eyes identical to Mara's "But you're too late."'

Zoe transformed into Heartless, "Adrien…what happened?"

Adrien pointed to Gabriel, "He sacrificed me, that's what." He looked down at Gabriel, "Gabriel, too bad, so sad. I have no pity for you whatsoever, you child abusing vile moth. I hope your soul gets trapped inside your Miraculous somehow and you get stuck in a tiny prison cell unable to die of natural causes until the end of time!"

Gabriel looked up, a broken man, "Adrien, please…I'm not who you think I am…"

Adrien sneered, creating a massive axe, "You're exactly who I think you are. You're the reason teens vomit and starve themselves to death. And you're the reason they fill themselves with plastic. And you are the reason that Adrien is dead. And so now, on behalf of the entire suit of the broken hearts, I will now lop off the King's head." He laughed, "That just sounded so much better out loud than it did in my head."

Before he could swing down, Heartless turned her hand to a sword and sliced the axe in half.

"Adrien stop this! This isn't you!"

"You left me too!" Adrien roared, and everyone else knew not to intervene because they were in a cramped environment, "All that's left of me is misery and despair, AND I WANT YOU TO FEEL IT!"

"Don't need to, I've already got my own." She softened, taking his hands with a smile, "Look at me. It's Zoe, it's Satan…"

"Oh Zoe, you think the power of love would do anything here? I'm a kwami killer."

"How do I know that's not a bluff?" Heartless asked, but Kelly sighed,

"Pikko…my kwami…"

"Dad, you had a kwami?" Tigris asked. Kelly nodded,

"Yes. Mara killed him! That's how we truly became enemies." Adrien took the opportunity to grab Heartless by the throat, and when she slashed his arm, he laughed. A snapped, maniac cackle.

"You stupid girl! Have you learned nothing?" He smirked, "You can't hurt me without hurting 'your Adrien'." He vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Where did he go…?" Felix asked, hiding behind Kelly nervously.

"To check on Lila." Mara replied, appearing and smiling warmly in Kelly's direction, "It has been too long, Kelly dearest. You don't look older than twenty, and yet a father of two teens." Kelly bared his teeth, shielding Eden and Felix behind him. Heartless turned,

"Guys, a little help." Mockingjay nodded to her and joined the fight instead of guarding Felix—who was a stowaway and hadn't been supposed to be there—he clicked his heels together and summoned his ice skates, and threw his throwing knives, and one actually cut through Mara's cheek.

Mara wiped away the blood, and grinned, "Challenge accepted." She teleported behind him and grabbed the back of his head.

"ELI!" Everyone shrieked, and Mara smirked as Eli fell limp,

"Eiffel Tower in one hour or he dies." She vanished and Heartless roared to the heavens.

Kelly shielded everyone from the glass explosion and sighed, "Well…that could have gone better…."

 **A/N: As I said, mistakes were made. Kelly is going to be a main character, and Harrison will get a proper introduction, promise. And Adrien is evil now.**

 **The next chapter will be coming out soon. Review if you want to save the author kwami and as such get a new chapter!**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Y'all were promised a canon family to make people cry, I hope—and also doubt—I can manage that.**

 **Warning - violence and gore**

 **Chapter 25: The unimaginable**

"So…." Gabriel said, choking back sobs, "You have a plan, right? Please tell me you know how to save Adrien. I can't have just basically killed my son."

Heartless gave him the finger, "Asshole! The plan is to go in an hour and kill or be killed."

"What about Adrien?" Eden asked.

"He's already there, right?"

They all left the lair and sat in Zoe's room, "If Mara hasn't destroyed Adrien's soul, he can still be saved. Knowing Mara, she will use his soul as leverage. If we destroy the vessel the soul is being stored in, like the place an akuma would be, and activate his will, he can be saved." Gabriel raised an eyebrow,

"His will?"

Kelly started pacing, noticing both of his daughters knew exactly what he was referring to. "Your body submits, your heart succumbs, so why does your mind resist?" He smiled, "That is a direct quote from _Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep_. That's how possession works in this universe too. His Will can fight alongside us if we jumpstart it. To everyone else, we need to awaken his vengeful spirit."

Zoe stood up, "Okay. So we have to will Adrien to get his spirit ass out here and help us get is body back."

"We need multiple people." Kelly said, looking through Zoe's weapons, "Where's Ladybug?"

"Kels," Harrison asked, as he was brought here and Kelly used his mind powers to erase the last of the drug's influence, "Is bringing Mara the Ladybug Miraculous really a smart idea?"

"No Harry, it is an extremely dumb idea, but it's the best we've got."

"She has the Black Cat." Gabriel said, and Zoe narrowed her eyes,

"You know about that?" He nodded.

"He…he told me he knew everything and…I was shocked to say the least…" He clawed at his hair, memory of his only child trying to murder him and at the same time damning him to hell haunting every waking moment and likely the sleeping ones. "I-I just wanted Adrien on my side and Mara came and said—said that she had defeated a superhero duo and could help me do the same and have Adrien still love me…" Kelly huffed,

"White Sparrow and Lionheart? Yeah. She didn't technically defeat us, as she killed my kwami, and when I was still a superhero thanks to Harry," Harrison waved, "Mara kidnapped Eli and…I can't get fully into what happened there, but we found him half dead, and Amelia sacrificed herself for her son…"

"Well he is evil now." Zoe snapped, and Gabriel just broke.

It was strange for everyone to see the usually stoic man like this, so vulnerable. But Kelly—being a telepath—knew it was because he was realizing the errors he had made over the years and how it had broken his only child, turning father and son against each other, and when he was unable to accept that, Adrien was gone.

"I-I-I give up." He choked out, "I just want Adrien back…I've risked too much." It was disturbing how well Adrien pulled off those golden eyes, in an eerie, nightmarish way. All he needed were some torn clothes and bleached hair and he would be a lovely Anti-Adrien, and not just possessed.

Harrison checked his watch, "We have forty minutes."

"Thirty six minutes and twenty two seconds." Zoe replied. "So we should make up a plan."

OoOoO

Eli woke up and found himself chained to the ground with iron chains inside Gustave Eiffel's outfit. The Blue Jay Miraculous was pressed against his chest and the iron was rubbing on his skin.

"Good. You're up." Eli turned and saw Adrien leaning in the doorway, golden eyes flecked with mischief.

"Hello Eli, how's your Dad?"

Eli was taken aback, "M-My Dad?"

"Harrison. Beautiful man, kind heart, why did he go for Amelia of all people?" Mara stepped into view, "And then my traitorous sister got married and had you, a little warlock. You should have been killed when you took your first breath." Eli's eyes widened,

"You're my…aunt…? You killed your own sister?!"

Mara laughed, "I didn't intend to kill her, she sacrificed herself for you. Don't get me wrong, I would have, but I hadn't meant to at that intended time…"

And Eli remembered that night he had formerly forced into his subconscious, and Mara showed him more of the story.

 _Mara groaned in frustration as three-year-old Eli screamed in agony. She was trying to take his strong magical powers and then kill him, but it seemed Kelly had prepared for that and bound the boy's power with ancient runes branded onto the toddler's skin, it looked like a tattoo, but it was so much more._

 _"_ _Well child," she scoffed, "It's almost over. I have no use for you…" She clenched her fist and Eli shrieked in agony as his soul was cracked and slowly torn apart._

 _"_ _PLEASE STOP!" He begged, violet eyes full of fear. Mara just clenched harder until the child couldn't take it anymore and slipped from consciousness._

 _And then White Sparrow ran in with Kelly, "Eli!" She picked up the small boy and held him, "Baby, please wake up!" Mara smirked,_

 _"He's gone. When I'm done with him, you will have nothing but a comatose corpse." Kelly growled, and sent a mental attack at her and stunned her just long enough for Amelia to give him her Miraculous and forced him to run with Eli before it was too late._

 _Blackwell sisters stared at each other, violet met gold, and Amelia glared,_

 _"_ _Take me. I'm the one that betrayed the family, not my son. If you want to kill someone, kill me, just promise you will leave my family alone!"_

 _Mara took her hand, "You know that by doing this, you are interfering with the prophecy."_

 _"_ _I know." Amelia replied, "And I know that by letting my son live, it will come to pass."_

 _Mara groaned, "The whole point is to stop the prophecy! But I will accept your deal." And the mark of the black raven was on Amelia's hand and she screamed as she took her son's place, then she looked up with a smirk matching Mara's,_

 _"_ _Glad you didn't read the fine print, sister." And Mara was sucked into a dark void and Amelia downed a bottle of hemlock._

Eli put a hand to his chest, "Mom…" Mara had taken that time to steal the Miraculous off his neck, and fiddled with it,

"What a beautiful trinket." She gave it to Adrien, "Here darkling, you use it."

"Darkling?"

"That's the term when someone is under the control of a dark witch, a darkling. So that is what your dear friend has become. A vessel and nothing more." Eli growled and Mara just laughed at his effort to pull free of the chains.

"The chains are enchanted, foolish child." She perked up, "Oh! Seems Fireheart made it just on time." She forced the chains off the ground and into her hands and dragged him along,

"Let me go!"

"Fat chance." Eli brightened to see Zoe—or rather Heartless—glaring daggers at Mara. She was alone, but Eli doubted that was true. Heartless glared,

"Eli, are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine." Mara grabbed his hair and caused him to yelp.

"You know Fireheart," She said softly, unbefitting her sharp appearance, "You and I aren't so different. Both strong women with more power than we know what to do with—"

"Nobody cares!" Heartless snapped. Adrien looked down at the Miraculous,

"Oh Jaay, guess who's transforming me."

"FUUUUU—" Heartless winnowed—short distance teleporting—to Adrien, and ripped off the Miraculous. But in the scuffle, Adrien grabbed the Dragon Miraculous off her neck and transformed while she threw the Blue Jay to Eli and Jaay snapped the chains.

Wyvern grinned, showing off those pearly white teeth, however, other than battling Heartless, he didn't do much. Until Mara turned to him,

"Find Ladybug and kill her." Wyvern nodded and flew off, and Mara sent the Heartless and Eli flying backward. And then Tigris jumped down and kicked Mara in the face, only to get sent flying backwards with a shriek.

They all crash-landed into the Seine. Heartless helped Eli out and created a blanket to heat him up. He shivered, and looked up in alarm,

"Marinette doesn't know about Adrien!"

OoOoO

Ladybug had been fighting zombies for an hour now, but the sick monsters just wouldn't die!

"My lady!" She turned and sighed in relief as her beloved Adrien came running to her side, only he was wearing the Dragon Miraculous.

"Hawk Moth had me captive!" Wyvern explained as he used his sword to slice through zombies. "Hence the Miraculous. A witch of some sort got Plagg!" He eviscerated some more zombies and threw his arms out, "DRAGON FLAME!" He started to cry, "M-Milady…I've been through a lot…I was just captured by my father, I am not okay…"

She gasped. They had been right about Gabriel all along! "Oh Chaton." She hugged him, and then yelped as he stabbed her in the heart through her back with a dagger made of dark energy, "W-Why…" Wyvern dropped her to the ground and took her Miraculous, then he left her to die…

…

"No!" Eden ran to Marinette's side, "Hey Mari, wake up!" She wasn't breathing. Roari flew to her side,

"Eden, your powers!" Eden tore at her hair,

"I-I don't know how!"

"Need help?" Eden looked up and saw a beautiful young woman standing there.

"Who are you?" The woman bent down and smiled.

"You know me. I wish you didn't, but you know me." Eden was still confused, and then the woman sighed, "Look again." Her eyes turned coal black and Eden shrieked,

"Dausi?!" Dausi nodded, looking at Marinette.

"The girl is dead. But she hasn't slipped completely and can as such be saved. Zoe has the power of life and death, and you have the power of creation—you're perceptive, and while you can't create a new being, you can bring things to life. Like a doll, or a person. Just focus."

Eden glared at the shapeshifter, and then her hands lit up. "Woah!"

Marinette jerked upright.

"Wha…what happened?"

"You died. Adrien murdered you." Eden explained the rest, and Marinette tore at her hair,

"Seriously?! I was right all along! And Zoe can still be blamed for Adrien not telling me!"

"Yeah…." Dausi agreed, "But on the bright side, theoretically, Adrien can be brought back by an act of true love from the person who he loves most, whether he knows it or not."

Eden pulled out her phone, "Zo, we found her, she's fine, if not pissed. We'll meet back at the Eiffel Tower to take down Mara."

OoOoO

Felix sat the ground, watching Gabriel cry at the foot of Emilie's coffin.

"Emilie…I've made a terrible mistake…" Felix cocked his head,

"Is Kitty gonna be okay?" He turned,

"I…I don't know…I don't want anything more than that. Not that he would care if I died." Felix got up and sat in the older man's lap, brushing away Gabriel's tears,

"Kitty loves you, doesn't he?" Gabriel shook his head,

"No. I love him with all my heart, but I've made too many mistakes for him to give a damn about me. This whole mess is my fault, Felix, you need to understand, love doesn't solve everything." Felix frowned, deep in thought, even biting his lip a little and brushing back a strand of dirty blonde hair that had been getting gradually darker with age,

"Nobody can hate you more than someone who used to love you." He looked up, "Mama told me that once. She also told me that family is complicated. She said you always love your family, that doesn't mean you like them. Kitty still loves you, even if he doesn't know it. Maybe he's just trying to avoid getting hurt."

Gabriel cocked his head, "You are very bright for your age. But what do you mean he's trying to avoid getting hurt?" Could it be possible that Adrien did care still? Or was it too good to be true.

Felix was more than happy to answer, happy to hear someone fascinated by his genius and not just pass it off as normal like both of his magical—even if the father was unaware—parents,

"It's the cycle of abuse!" He said cheerfully, "Mama was the same way. Every time Mama or Kitty started to doubt the love after long periods of abuse, they would receive some, and then they would ditch any idea of running away. Both Mama and Adrien did everything they could to harden their hearts by finding replacement parents. But the problem is that the cycle never truly goes away. But this comes to your advantage, if you go to him, and tell him how sorry you are, the ice around his heart will thaw and he will auto give you a chance, even if he is doubtful. Then you prove those doubts won't become a reality."

Gabriel gasped, "You think I can still win him back?"

"Only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart." Felix replied matter-of-factly, holding up a small revolver, "Go to him. I can take care of myself." Gabriel got up,

"Thank you Felix. You really are a smart kid."

"I know. Now go, Fucker." Gabriel rolled his eyes, changed into better running clothes, and ran to the Eiffel Tower with hopes of at least saving his son.

OoOoO

Heartless was fighting zombies—or rather annihilating them—she had started with exactly a thousand, and now there was only one.

Heartless laughed, "Oh there's only one left!" The zombie looked around, and spoke,

"Oh shit, I think I might be the last one—uh…Billy! Billy! Are you there Billy?"

"Billy's dead…again." Heartless replied, "I fucking re-killed him!" The zombie ran at her—yes, it was the fast zombies, not the comically slow ones, which was both parts terrifying and exhilarating—and she dodged away from it,

"You asshole! It's okay, I will do this, I will do this, I will defeat you! For my friend!" Heartless rolled her eyes as she winnowed behind it again,

"Sure man, i killed literally 999 versions of you. What makes you think you can do it?"

"I don't know!" It sounded like Moshirige from _Corpse Party_ —or more specifically the NicoB version that any Picky Penguin would know about—and that made her laugh. She stood still,

"Okay. I'll give you a freebie. Hit me. Hit me you little fuck."

"Okay!" The zombie, that Heartless was officially calling Moshirige, paused, then ran around her, "Wait, I gotta position myself just right."

"Oh come on man, jus do it!"

"No! It needs to be perfect!"

Five minutes later

Heartless was actively chasing this zombie around, "Dude, if you aren't gonna do anything, I'm just gonna re-kill you."

"Okay, okay, uh heeeeeeeeeee—" It barely grazed Heartless, she blinked, "Okay…that's all I got." Heartless snapped her finger and the zombie exploded.

She rolled her eyes and made her way back up the Eiffel Tower.

OoOoO

Marinette ran up the Eiffel Tower with the help of Dausi and Tigris, to see Adrien giving Mara the Ladybug Miraculous. Dausi turned into a hawk and grabbed the earrings from Adrien's open palm, then she put them on herself.

"What? Better me than Mara." Fair. Mara glared,

"Dausi LeMay, long time no see, old friend." Dausi sneered,

"We were never friends! Spots on!" Coccinelle gave the witch the finger. She wore a red and black suit without polka-dots; her mask was black at the top and red at the bottom; she wore black gloves that were a little above her elbows and had a thick red horizontal stripe at the end. She also wore black boots that are above knee-level. Her hair was in a long braided ponytail down her back and to her knees.

But this was all part of the plan, as Adrien, as a darkling, only took orders, so with Mara distracted handling the transformed shapeshifter than the inactive Worldbender, Marinette had time to run at Adrien and kiss him.

What wasn't a part of the plan was that nothing happened. Adrien looked at her, and went for the kill again, only for Heartless to appear and destroy the knife.

Coccinelle used her yoyo to smack the arrived Lila in the face, and the undead darkling villain seemed to be unable to understand Coccinelle and Ladybug were not the same, and the two were battling in the sky, since Coccinelle could use her shapeshifting to create ladybug wings for herself.

Heartless and Adrien were using dark magic and kung-fu against each other in a way that would put the original _Kung Fu Panda_ to shame. But Adrien got bored of an equal and went after a vulnerable Marinette, who he didn't seem to have any sense of recognition towards,

"Adrien! Please stop! This isn't you!" They all turned and saw Gabriel, who looked like he had been to hell and back, with a shotgun on his back that had clearly been fired—not well—judging by the gunpowder on the fashion designer's hands. Adrien smirked, releasing Marinette as Mockingjay came running,

"Gabriel what are you doing here? I ran into my son fighting zombies while using a Miraculous!" The trio of OCs—as Eden called them—had each gone their separate ways to handle the city as they knew Queen Bee, Rena Rouge and Carapace were to the east, so Heartless had taken the west—wicked witch of the west much—Eden had taken north, and Eli had taken south.

"Well look who it is." Adrien drawled, grinning in a manner that made his golden eyes all the more noticeable, "The man with nothing to lose."

Gabriel bowed his head—meanwhile Mara was facing off with Heartless and Tigris, while Lila and Coccinelle were still duking it out in the sky—and he slowly walked towards Adrien, cupping his cheek. To the shock of everyone, Adrien looked startled, and he didn't do anything. Gabriel moved his hand to hold Adrien's and dropped to his knees.

"A…Adrien…I was wrong that day. There was someone I could lose. I had meant that I had thought I wouldn't lose you…not knowing I already had and my actions made it worse…" he sobbed, "You are the most precious thing to me. I'd do anything to keep you safe…if you want to kill someone, kill me. Just come back, let me look into your eyes and see my son at least once." He looked up, "I love you Adrien. I always have, even if I really am the worst human being out there." Adrien wasn't looking at him, and Gabriel turned to see….

Another Adrien? This Adrien was wearing Cat Noir's suit, without the mask, ears or the hair and eye chance. It was like Adrien wearing the costume in _Frightengale_ only without the ears. His eyes were pale spring green.

Mara turned from Heartless, "Impossible!"

Lingering Will smiled to Gabriel, though it was strained, "I heard you." Heartless facepalmed,

"Seriously?! Gabriel, the guy who practically killed you, brought you back!?" Lingering Will shrugged, gently pushing Marinette out of the way to have a stare off with Mara.

"Remember what I last said to you? One day, I will return to this land, and I will set things right. Gabriel was the voice I needed the fully cut through the dark. And now I will get my body back and kill you."

Marinette gave a teary smile, "Is it really you?" Lingering Will turned,

"Always Bugaboo."

Mockingjay looked down and saw Lingering Will, "Sweet!" He sent his throwing knives at Lila and the bitch shrieked as one went through her eye, causing blood to spurt out.

Coccinelle turned to him in horror, "Holy fuck, that thing can cut people?!"

"Yeah. Duh."

"We should help the others. I don't think Lila is gonna be doing much."

"Agreed."

Adrien turned to Mara, "Mistress?"

"SHUT UP!" Lingering Will roared, running at Mara, but the witch held up a bracelet with a glowing green gem, matching the color of Adrien's normal eyes.

"I can destroy your soul." Mara said simply. But that was an error in judgement, because Heartless tackled her, "Give me that!"

Everyone just stared for a second at the two women rolling around and pulling each other's hair. It was actually a good catfight.

Kelly grinned, coming up the stairs, covered head to toe in human blood.

Eden's eyes widened, "Dad?! What happened?!" Kelly rubbed the back of his neck,

"Well…"

 _Kelly and Mayura went to Fu for help to get more Miraculous and a repair for the Peacock. But that was not Kelly's plan._

 _Because the second the old fuck opened the door, Kelly was on top of him, beating him senseless and letting blood spurt out of every hole and continuing to beat on him_

 _"_ _That's for ruining my life." Depression and rage, plus hearing this old man had kicked his daughter out alone in the rain made him hold no remorse for pulling out a knife and carving into the guardian._

 _He found himself bitterly disappointed when Fu stopped screaming and pleading for mercy and died. He huffed._

 _And Mayura vomited, rocking back and forth in the corner._

"DAAAAAAAD!" Eden shouted in exasperation as Mara and Zoe rolled past them, "That _Kills_ people!"

"I know." Kelly replied nonchalantly, "I wanted him dead."

"Should we intervene?" Marinette asked. Lingering Will shrugged,

"Meh. Let Zoe have her fun."

Plagg was the one who had enough and grabbed the bracelet, throwing it to Lingering Will before Mara could react. Lingering Will snapped the bracelet and a green, glowing orb flew into Adrien's chest.

"Thanks Plagg!"

"Why you—" Heartless pulled Mara's hair again, dragging her back into the catfight.

"Eden, you need to use your healing powers to expel Mara's influence!" Eden complied, and Lingering Will went up in sparkles, and Adrien jolted up, his eyes green.

"Adrien!" Both Marinette and Gabriel cheered, hugging him with tears in their eyes.

Mara punched Heartless in the boob, and got out of the catfight, clenching her fist and causing Mockingjay to shriek in agony, clutching his chest and curling into a ball.

"ELI!" They all ran to his side, so nobody noticed Lila grab Adrien by the back of the neck.

And throw him off the Eiffel Tower.

Mara laughed, "You can only save one, Fireheart. Either your brother falls to his death, or your love's soul is shattered and he falls into a slumber never to awaken."

Heartless' eyes widened. How could someone ask her that?! Adrien or Eli? Eli or Adrien? WHY!? The image of Adrien bloody and broken was in her mind, and the image of Eli in a glass coffin just like Emilie Agreste.

…

Gabriel didn't desire any more waiting, grabbed the fallen Dragon Miraculous, and jumped after Adrien. He could see his son falling, his eyes full of fear.

He had gone skydiving with Emilie before, so he knew how to fall faster. He caught up with Adrien about halfway down the tower, and grabbed hold of him.

"Fa—" Gabriel shoved the Dragon Miraculous on him, "Blazze, transform him!" The transformation covered Adrien, so he was protected upon impact.

But Gabriel wasn't. He felt every bone in his body shatter, and it hurt like hell.

Adrien was unscathed. That was all that mattered to the former supervillain, seeing his son unharmed, in his final moments.

Wyvern shook him, "Father? Did you just save my life?"

"Of course I did…" His voice was barely a whisper, and Adrien was cradling him, he could tell, but he felt himself slipping away. He wished he could tell Adrien everything, apologize, make things right between them, but it was only going to be one, not two. Only one person was going to die—Mara didn't count—and Gabriel was damn sure it wasn't going to be Adrien, "I…I love you…"

And he died.

…

Adrien screamed, holding the corpse of his father. The father who gave his life to save him.

"Come on…wake up…please?" After two years of not caring, wanting to be the one to kill this bastard, something about this made something snap, and he felt his heart of ice towards Gabriel Agreste start thawing. He hated it. He wanted to laugh at the man's corpse, but all he could do was cry.

But Eden's healing left lasting side effects on him, as he shed a white-gold tear.

It was very _Tangled_ -esque, the dramatic glow, and then the color returning to Gabriel's face. He took a sharp intake of air, and opened his eyes,

"A-Adrien…?"

"Father…" Adrien laughed in relief, ignoring the zombies around them, and crushing his father in a hug.

"Ow!" Adrien smiled,

"Sorry…I'm just…glad you didn't just die." He stood up and held his hand out, "Come on. Let's go." Gabriel tried to take his hand, but didn't get any ground, shrieking in pain and falling to his knees. Maybe he hadn't been completely healed as Adrien had hoped.

"My…my legs…" He gasped in pain, and Adrien noticed Gabriel's legs must have healed wrong, as they were sickeningly crooked, "Adrien, leave me here…go…"

"Nope. Not gonna happen." He slung his father's arm around his shoulder and dragged him along, "I'm still pissed at you." He said this mostly to convince himself this was true, and it was, but no longer hatred, and he knew he himself was partially to blame for what happened.

"Adrien, son…you don't have to pretend to care."

"That's the problem. I'm not pretending, no matter how much I wish I was." He huffed, "Looks like I got roped back into the cycle of abuse." Gabriel sighed,

"Abuse? No. Whether you sent me to prison, kill me, or whatever you have planned, I want to be a part of your life and not as the villain. I won't force you, and I was so dumb to accept Mara's offer. But I took my quest to get your mother back…I took it too far, and I'm sorry."

Adrien bit his lip, "I think I'll take you up on that offer on an in-depth talk. Then I'll decide."

Gabriel just smiled, a tear falling down his cheek, and did his best to help Adrien along, "Take me to the car, then go back and join your lady." Adrien looked down,

"I'll take you home. Blazze, wings out."

And then the Eiffel Tower exploded.

While that was happening

Heartless turned to where Gabriel had jumped after Adrien, "Thanks Gabe." She snapped her fingers and Lila exploded in a mess of blood and gore that made Eden and Marinette nauseous, Kelly proud, and Coccinelle dully annoyed. She sent Mara flying backwards, and Eli eased a little bit.

"And now I kill you." Heartless turned her left hand into a sword and started swinging without any technique, blinded by inhumane rage. But was she truly human? No.

Regardless, she had Mara pinned to the wall in less than a minute.

"H…How…" Mara breathed in devastation at the realization she had passed of the goddess of death. The Dark Queen, ruler of the Underworld, that was what she was, trapped in the form of a human girl.

"As I said." Heartless seethed, "I'm better than you. You may claim we aren't different, but we are very different. Because you are a monster, I am a heartless murderer. There is a fine line. But the heartless murderer is different from the monster because of this." She released Mara, with a cold stare, "Want to live? Then run. Run from this land and never return."

Mara nodded, and started to run. And Heartless smiled, about to run to Eli's side, when Eden shrieked as she saw Mara come back full force, with enough energy to kill her sister upon impact.

"ZOE!" She transformed into her own ultimate form and used light energy to send Mara flying through the wall of Gustave Eiffel's office and crash into the room.

Tenshi looked to Heartless, and helped her up.

The form changed Eden's clothes to silvery white and black flowing nightgown styled dress, with the symbols on her leggings somewhat resembling an eye with a wind pattern. Her eyes were also white-gold. Her hair was the same, if not slightly lighter.

Tenshi floated an inch off the ground, and launched a ball of fire at Mara, scorching half of the witch's face and burning away that half of her hair, making her look like Two-face from the _Batman_ series.

Mara got up, and looked to be in excruciating pain. Heartless just laughed. The witch seemed to be glaring at her, but with only half a face, it was hard to tell.

"Do I need to kill someone for you bitches to take me seriously? FINE!" She snapped her fingers much like Heartless had before, and Eli—who had been cradled in Kelly's arms for safekeeping, let out another hearty shriek of misery, before there was a light explosion from him…

As Mara shattered his soul.

Heartless ran to her love's side and Kelly shook in rage. "Eli? Please don't be gone! YOU CAN'T BE!" He didn't wake up and she felt it, that he was gone. She slowly turned to Mara, not intimidated, but infuriated, "I'M GOING TO FLAY YOU ALIVE!" She winnowed and dug her nails into Mara's throat, drawing blood.

She grabbed the Cat Miraculous, and used her power to send it to Adrien.

Kelly realized what was going to happen as his daughter was covered in dark energy. He grabbed Marinette in one arm and Eli in the other, and ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Coccinelle fled as well.

And the Eiffel Tower exploded.

In the massive crater, Mara was—somehow—still alive. Tenshi had backed up as Heartless was surrounded by fire and dark energy, before roaring to the sky, and a guardian emerged.

The guardian had an ink-black, muscular, humanoid form with a partially bandaged head that hosted relatively human features. It had yellow eyes gleaming above a mouth filled with sharp teeth, as well as two long antennae spouting from the top of its head. A hole appeared in between more bandages on the torso in the shape of a heart. Lastly, it had very large hands, its torso coming to a tail-like point that fades away into its host's body.

Heartless ordered the guardian to grab hold of Mara, making the beaten woman squeak in pain.

"You're…crushing…my bones… Let me go!" Mara ordered. And Marinette looked to Adrien, who was hugging a sobbing Plagg.

"Did she just ask for mercy after basically killing the love of Zoe's life?"

"I think so…." Adrien responded, "All I know is I wouldn't touch that with a twelve inch pole."

Heartless bore her teeth, "Did you give Eli any mercy?" Mara knew the answer and the guardian crushed her until bones started popping out of place and her eyes started bugging out.

"Are you going to kill me?" Mara asked, on the brink of death. And Heartless shook her head.

"How do I get Eli back? Tell me that and I will spare you."

"The boy is gone! It will be easier to wake Emilie Agreste!"

"When have I ever cared about a challenge?" She narrowed her eyes.

"He is gone. Gone forever. There is nothing you can do." Heartless pursed her lips into a thin line,

"I still won't kill you. You will spend the rest of your days in a dark prison of my creation, wishing you could be dead." Mara shrieked as she vanished in flames.

Heartless changed back to Zoe, and she truly realized Eli was gone. There wasn't anything she could do. The unimaginable had become a reality. She had just lost the love of her life. She knew how Gabriel had felt.

She dropped to her knees, feeling as though her heart was ripped from her chest, and sobbed.

 **A/N: Well… I just did that. No death threats, please. Next chapter is the last one, then the third installment, _Hero's Journey_. Remember to review and save Cheeto!**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Last chapter of Fireheart and the Tiger before the third installment, which will be mostly comedy. This chapter is mostly an epilogue, so it is much shorter.**

 **Do I even need to tell you what the song they are using is? It's from Hamilton.**

 **Chapter 26: The darkest hour is just before the dawn.**

Harrison softly played piano. A week had passed since Eli's soul was shattered, and everyone was taking it hard, the hardest were Jaay, Harrison, Kelly and especially Felix and Zoe.

He began to quietly sing, _"There are moments that the words don't reach_

 _There is suffering too terrible to name_

 _You hold your love as tight as you can_

 _And push away the unimaginable_

 _The moments when you're in so deep_

 _It feels easier to just swim down."_ Everyone else in the room joined in, seeing Zoe outside in the garden, weeping. Gabriel was watching from a distance away.

 _"_ _Zoe and Gabriel move uptown_

 _And learn to live with the unimaginable."_

Zoe walked alone at midnight, broken-hearted. She didn't look healthy. She hadn't eaten in a week, unable to hold anything down, and she was already getting thinner. Her hair was greasy and unkept, and she had such dark bags under her eyes it looked like she had gotten two black eyes. Her sapphire eyes were dulled to a faded grey-blue. She didn't even look like the same woman.

She looked around the city, remembering when she and Eli walked through the city the first night they had met. Easily one of the best nights of her life.

 _"_ _I spend hours in the garden_

 _I walk alone to the store_

 _And it's quiet uptown_

 _I never liked the quiet before_

 _I took the children to church on Sunday_

 _A sign of the cross at the door_

 _And I prayed…"_ she looked at her hands, the hands that had caused so much bloodshed. She didn't not believe in God, she merely though the idea of God loving all of his creations and not just using them as playthings was debatable, a cold and ruthless bastard. But that was her opinion, even if Eli's fate made that even easier to believe.

 _"_ _That never used to happen before."_

At school, Marinette and Adrien were explaining the basic events to their classmates,

 _"_ _If you see her in the street, walking by herself, talking to herself, have pity._

 _She is working through the unimaginable."_

Their other classmates decided to spread the word and made sure to have Nadja Chamack stay away,

 _"_ _Her hair is going grey. She passes every day_

 _They say she walks the length of the city_

 _Can you imagine?"_

That night, Zoe sat in the guest room, where Eli had been sleeping. He looked so damn peaceful, like he could wake up at any moment. But she knew he wouldn't. Ever.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to see Gabriel smiling sadly, guilty as hell.

"What do you want?"

 _"_ _Look at where we are."_ He sang softly,

 _"_ _Look at where we started_

 _I know I don't deserve you, Fireheart_

 _But hear me out. That would be enough."_ He looked down at Eli,

 _"If I could spare his life_

 _If I could trade his life for mine_

 _He'd be standing here right now_

 _And you would smile, and that would be enough."_ He shrugged, gesturing to the wheelchair he was confined to ever since his legs had been announced permanently crippled, and he could only walk with the Miraculous.

 _"_ _I don't pretend to know_

 _The challenges we're facing_

 _I know there's no replacing what we've lost_

 _And you need time._

 _But I'm not afraid_

 _I know who I adopted._

 _Just let me stay here by your side_

 _That would be enough."_

For the next three days, Hawk Moth could be seen walking and talking with Fireheart. The citizens lost it, horrified that their fiery hero was being pleasant with the man who had terrorized them.

Kelly was the one to explain things, as a lie, saying the witch Mara had possessed him as she had Adrien and Lila and he wasn't at fault for his actions. And he and Fireheart were actually friends.

The reason they didn't bust Gabriel's ass was for a number of reasons. Punishing a bad person rarely made them good, and since the fashion designer didn't give a damn about himself anymore, that didn't work as a good punishment. Also, he and Adrien were going to counseling—like marriage counseling, except for father and son—and they were getting there; they weren't at the level of normal parent and child, but they weren't estranged. And Kelly himself always liked to keep his friends close and his enemies closer.

 _"_ _If you see him in the street, walking by her side, talking by her side, have pity_

 _He is trying to do the unimaginable."_ He pointed out the window to Nadja, where Hawk Moth and Fireheart could be seen eating ice cream while walking in the park.

 _"See them walking in the park, long after dark_

 _Taking in the sights of the city_

 _They are trying to do the unimaginable."_

Cut to Adrien, who was watching his father mourn Emilie Agreste.

 _"There are moments that the words don't reach_

 _There is a grace too powerful to name_

 _We push away what we can never understand_

 _We push away the unimaginable._

 _They are standing in the shrine room_

 _Fireheart by Gabriel's side_

 _She takes his hand..._

 _It's quiet uptown."_

Everyone gasped, _"_ _Forgiveness. Can you imagine?_

 _Forgiveness. Can you imagine?_

 _If you see him in the street, walking by her side, talking by her side, have pity_

 _They are going through the unimaginable."_

OoOoO

Kelly had had enough. Ten days, and his daughter was just breaking. Gabriel had been able to help a little, but only to get her eating. Eli was her other half, he had known they were destined to be together the second Zoe was born, so losing him was like losing part of herself.

He knew something could be done. Mara wasn't the type to just kill someone. She played with her food.

So he used his mind powers to open a gate to Mara's prison, and saw the woman he had used to see as a sister bloody and broken on the ground. He grabbed her wrist and forced her up, and he held up a bottle of Advil.

"I'll give you this if you tell me how to save Eli." Ten days of infected wounds left Mara looking like those zombies, and a part of him wanted to be merciful and put her out of her misery. But no…

He expected more resistance, but Mara gave in. Then he remembered most of the 284 Blackwell witches had had a crush on him, being the only male that wasn't being fucked by their mother. Then a good chunk tried to go for Harrison, but dear Harry had chosen Amelia.

"You need to collect the shattered pieces of his soul and return them to his body." Mara wheezed, "There are thirteen total, each on a separate world." She gave him a charm on a small ship, "You can use this to travel in the Lanes Between. It grows into a full ship."

Kelly nodded, giving her the Advil—but not any water to take it with—"Thanks Mar." He left, and ran to Zoe, who was sitting by Eli's bedside, where she could be found if not out wandering the city.

"Zoe!"

OoOoO

Zoe was in the driver's seat in their Gummi ship—as it would thus be dubbed. On either side in the two other seats were Adrien and Eden. It was gonna be the three of them off on a grand adventure.

"Come on Zoe," Adrien begged, "Where are we even going?" He pulled up a huge backpack, "I just packed for everything."

"Good." She turned on the ship and launched them into the Lanes Between, "Let's go!"

Eden threw her hands up, "With fierce determination in their eyes, they posed together for an awesome picture as this is the season finale. Will they save Eli? Will Zoe take a dark turn, as did Gabriel? You'll have to wait until next season to find out!"

Zoe turned, "Eden…are you narrating?!"

"No! I am!" They all turned and saw a girl with wild dark hair and black-rimmed glasses, highlighting her chocolate brown eyes that twinkled with mischief. She was wearing an oversized Grumpy—the dwarf in Snow White—sweatshirt, a Hamilton t-shirt that was worn through and had a couple holes in it, and black sweatpants.

"Who the fuck are you?" The girl grinned,

"I'm Carly! The author here. Or is this better?" She snapped her fingers and her hair turned grey, she was wearing a green beanie and a grey summer dress, and her eyes turned ice blue as her glasses vanished.

"Hey!" Another voice was heard, "Don't forget about me!" Another girl appeared,

She was wearing a way too big sweater and leggings. Her hair was also dark, styled in a messy ponytail. She also had glasses but her eyes were grey-green. She was holding a chicken leg that she had clearly been eating.

Carly nodded, "Christi, how could I forget?"

"Are you two sisters?!" Adrien asked, looking between the two girls in confusion.

"No. Just best friends." Carly answered, and a third voice came. This was was much higher pitched, and the girl that appeared was no older than ten.

She, like the others, had brown hair, and she had brown eyes, which flickered between brown and blue for a minute, before settling on blue. She looked like she had been to hell and back, with a cold compress on her head, and wearing a pink tank-top and rainbow shorts.

"Carly, I'm your sister!"

"Paula, what are you doing here?!" Carly asked in bemusement, "You, miss, have a fever!"

"Yeah. But then these idiots broke the fourth wall and that summoned us!"

Zoe huffed, "Guys, I'm busy driving."

Carly came up next to her and frowned, "You just took a wrong turn." Zoe flipped her off as Christi came over too and Eden gave Paula some water.

"And now you missed your exit."

Zoe turned into Heartless. "Shut up or I will kill you!"

"But then you would basically kill yourself…" Christi mused, and Heartless stood up, using her foot to continue driving.

"Look at my face, bitch! Does it look like I give two flying fucks?!" She turned to Carly, as Paula had decided to leave, "NOW GET ON WITH THE STORY, YOU DILDO!"

"Woah!" Adrien threw his hands up, "No…that took a dirty turn." Carly just rolled her eyes, holding up a ring that could easily be mistaken for a cheap mood ring with the gem on it changing colors,

"Cheeto, transform me!" A small orange tabby kwami shrieked and flew into the ring, and the author girl lit up like a neutron star.

"Wanna try me, bitch?" She crossed her arms, as Christi had used her power to turn into a Tenshi-Heartless combo, that was a little strange. "Christi, come on. We need to perfect these things!" Christi changed back and sighed.

"We set you back on track, so we don't have to deal with that." They both started to fade, "Summon us by breaking the fourth wall. Farewell…."

Adrien frowned, "What the fuck just happened?"

"Good question." Eden replied, "Well, we're coming up on a world…it looks like—oh what are we coming up on….I was going to say Lion King, but this is definitely not that." It looked like a swamp with a dark cloud looming over it.

"Okay then… we were very ill prepared for this." Adrien mused, looking to Plagg, who was asleep in his hoodie, still mentally scarred by what Mara had put him through.

"Whatever." Zoe replied, loading her gun, "It's time to save Eli. It won't be long now, my love."

 **A/N: Give me suggestions for worlds they go to. I have many ideas, but I want to hear suggestions!**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Hero's Journey is out now!**


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